LSE$China$Development$ForumLondon$$|$$February$18,$2012

Introduc)on• Asked/to/add/a/more/personal/dynamic/to/this/urbaniza)on/narra)ve,/so/I/will/be/the/

lightweight/in/academia/today

1

Migrants/and/Urbaniza)on/1• The/story/of/urbaniza)on/in/China/has/really/been/the/story/of/the/migra)on/of/poor/villagers/

to/the/ci)es/in/search/for/a/beCer/life/for/their/children

• But/what/they/find/is/oFen/far/from/what/they/expected

• When/we/look/at/China’s/urbaniza)on/not/in/isola)on/but/as/part/of/a/larger/history,/we/see/that/urbaniza)on/is/inevitable/[*slides/x/10*]

• 1/6/to/1/3

• (MOCA)/Half/billion/more/in/China/and/the/2011/government/census/showed/the/majority/now/live/in/ci)es;/both/a/China/issue/and/a/global/issue

• ++++++++++++++++

• And/rather/than/misunderstanding/it,/ci)es/and/governments/can/embrace/it,/for/our/own/good

‣ I’m/no/economist/but/it/seems/people/flow/to/emerging/economies/and/help/further/grow/those/economies/with/their/contribu)ons

‣ Ci)es/have/become/so/interdependent/on/this/lowZcost/labor/that/they/would/grind/to/an/immediate/halt/if/migrants/leF/tomorrow

2

1$(in)$61$(in)$3$

Nepal

55%< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >9 >$$GLOBAL$ISSUE

Bangladesh

< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >9 >$$GLOBAL$ISSUE

2 mill

India

< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >9 >$$GLOBAL$ISSUE

55%

Egypt

< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >9 >$$GLOBAL$ISSUE

70,000

Kenya

< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >9 >$$GLOBAL$ISSUE

55%

Brazil

< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >9 >$$GLOBAL$ISSUE

33%

Indonesia

< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >9 >$$GLOBAL$ISSUE

5 mill

Philippines

< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >9 >$$GLOBAL$ISSUE

40%

China

< 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >9 >$$GLOBAL$ISSUE

250 mill

billion1/2

Migrants/and/Urbaniza)on/2• The/key/challenge/of/migrants/globally/and/in/China/is/one/of/informality./They/have/informal/

jobs,/educa)on,/healthcare,/housing…live/informal/lives/on/the/edges/of/our/ci)es

• A/system/which/allows/migrant/families/to/more/easily/obtain/formal/status/in/their/ci)es/would/go/a/long/way/in/helping/them/access/the/formal/educa)on,/healthcare,/and/employment/systems/which/already/exist

• While/they/are/inves)ng/their/sweat/equity/into/the/ci)es/in/return

• The/idea/of/people/staying/on/their/small/farms/might/be/roman)c/to/us/as/urbanites/but/it/simply/is/not/a/life/for/the/21st/century

• It/discounts/the/ability/of/migrants/to/contribute/in/our/socie)es/and/discounts/the/future/for/their/children

3

Migrant/Perspec)ve• Awhile/ago/I/went/to/lunch/with/one/of/the/migrant/contractors/who/was/renova)ng/our/

offices

• He/explained/he/grew/up/in/a/village/of/300/people

• As/he/was/speaking,/I/was/startled/to/realize/the/historical/significance/of/his/choice

• He/was/the/first/in/his/family/that/had/lived/in/that/small/village/for/hundreds/if/not/thousands/of/years/who/decided/to/move/away

• I/asked/him/“what/caused/you/to/take/such/a/large/risk?”

• He/replied/“It/is/for/my/3/year/daughter./I/want/her/to/have/a/future.”

• He/realized/that/the/village/farm/offered/no/future/for/his/daughter/in/today’s/society,/and/was/determined/that/she/wouldn’t/be/leF/behind

• He/was/doing/exactly/the/same/thing/for/his/daughter/that/you/and/I/would/do/for/our/daughter

• [[BREAK]]

4

Nonprofits/and/Urbaniza)on/1• When/I/founded/Compassion/for/Migrant/Children/in/2006,/it/was/because/liCle/aCen)on/was/given/

the/migrant/issue/at/that/)me

• I/had/stumbled/into/that/first/migrant/community/and/couldn’t/sleep/for/months/because/I/was/overwhelmed/by/what/I/saw/and/energized/by/ideas

• +++++++++++++++

• From/the/beginning,/we/knew/that/if/we/wanted/to/do/anything/of/scale,/it/had/to/eventually/involve/the/government/so/we/began/to/meet/with/different/departments

• Government/officials/did/their/job/well,/listen,/smile,/no/call/back/(whiteZs)ll/am,/no/experience,/no/model,/no/millions/of/dollars,/influence)

• We/were/stuck./In/order/to/get/their/aCen)on,/we/needed/scale./To/get/scale,/we/needed/a/model./To/start/a/model,/we/needed/their/tacit/permission

• So/we/worked/as/hard/and/as/fast/as/we/could/to/develop/something/that/could/catch/their/aCen)on,/and/have/opened/7/community/centers/for/migrants/since/then/[*slide*]

5

OUR/OWN/EXPERIENCE

legosCMC$Community$Cubes

Nonprofits/and/Urbaniza)on/2• We/were/quite/naive/back/in/2006/when/we/started.//LiCle/good/has/ever/come/from/

stupidity/but/much/good/can/come/from/naivety./When/you/don’t/know/it/can’t/be/done,/it/gives/you/the/confidence/to/try

• I/oFen/think/that/if/we/never/were/naïve/enough/to/start,/we/never/would/have/been/in/the/posi)on/to/serve/thousands/of/migrants/today

• +++++++++++++++

• The/road/hasn’t/always/been/easy/but/our/commitment/to/engaging/the/government/has/been/worth/it,/and/we/have/found/many/allies/along/the/way

6

OUR/OWN/EXPERIENCE

Nonprofits/and/Urbaniza)on/3• And/over/)me,/they’ve/began/to/embrace/us/as/a/trustworthy/partner/(BIG3/Z/Fund,/SH,/funds)

• And/this/is/important,/as/significant/change/on/the/migrant/issue/can’t/occur/without/the/government

• And/they/are/already/addressing/the/issues/of/migrants;/Hú/Jǐntāo,/Wēn/Jiābǎo/have/visited/migrant/schools/and/communi)es/over/the/last/few/years/and/pledged/to/do/more

• Its/no/ques)on/that/primary/educa)on/and/healthcare/for/migrants/resides/firmly/in/the/realm/of/government

• +++++++++++++++• Yet/nonprofits/also/have/a/role/to/play

• We/are/at/our/best/when/we/find/exis)ng/gaps/that/are/not/already/met/by/govt/or/market/forces,/and/come/up/with/reasonable/responses,/and/pull/in/the/other/sectors/to/collaborate/together/on/broad/and/sustainable/systema)c/change

• We/are/at/our/best/when/we/can/inspire/others/to/take/ac)on

• [[BREAK]]/+/3

7

NONPROFITS/ROLE

INCLUSIVE/CITIES/MICROci)es

• If/informality/is/the/greatest/challenge,/What/if/we/reimagine/migrant/communi)es/or/migrant/slums

• They/can/be/seen/as/microci)es/that/are/complementary/to/and/connected/with/macroci)es/[*slide*]

• This/could/bring/the/formality/and/apprecia)on/and/a/path/of/transi)on/that/is/needed

• Imagine/

• The/migrant/phenomenon/could/well/become/the/defining/poli)cal/event/of/our/century/and/its/important/we/all/do/our/part/to/get/it/right

• Even/selfish/reasons/should/drive/us/to/care

• +++++++++++++

• And/yet/the/greatest/argument/in/paying/aCen)on/to/migrants/is/ul)mately/an/ethical/one:/our/fellow/humans/deserve/to/be/included

• Treat/migrants/as/we/would/want/to/be/treated;/we/don’t/want/handouts,/we/simply/want/opportuni)es/and/the/encouragement/to/believe/in/ourselves

• We/want/to/be/treated/with/genuineness/and/fairness/and/a/commitment/to/our/best,/to/not/be/kept/at/arms/length

• Dawangjing,/mother/threw/her/arms/open:/now/you're/here/to/live/life/with/us/[*slide*]//[[BREAK]]8

MICROZCITIES/(the/case/for/inves)ng/into/microZci)es)[*slide*]

reimagine

megacities$+$microcitiesa$partnership

Conclusion/1• I/am/assuming/you/are/here/today/because/you/are/from/China/or/you/have/significant/interest/in/

China

• Come/back,/build/on/the/founda)on/of/today’s/leaders/who/have/already/done/so/much/in/just/a/few/decades/in/China

• Our/social/fabric/is/as/important/as/our/GDP,/it/doesn’t/need/to/be/a/zeroZsum/game

• When/its/your/turn/to/lead,/remember/the/migrant,/remember/the/underdog./Lead/with/rightness,/with/fresh/eyes,/and/with/a/clear/sense/of/inclusion

• If/you/do/this,/you/will/secure/the/future/for/all/of/our/children

9

Conclusion/2• I/will/close/with/this./I/asked/my/wife/to/read/over/what/I/had/wriCen/to/share/with/you/today./She/said/

this/reminded/her/of/her/own/experience./Kimberley/was/born/in/Vietnam/to/Chinese/parents/and/became/a/part/of/the/boat/people/exodus/to/HK/at/the/age/of/one./Her/family/eventually/made/it/to/the/UK./Here/are/her/words:

‣ My#parents#took#a#journey#of#great#risk,#one#of#life#or#death,#when#they#stepped#into#a#boat#to#cross#the#sea.#The#odds#of#survival#were#not#great.#Many#people#died#along#the#way#from#either#disease#or#because#of#the#rough#sea#or#a=acks#by#pirates.#My#parents#could#have#chosen#to#go#back#to#China#and#live#a#rural#life.##But#they#were#willing#to#risk#their#lives#in#hopes#of#a#be=er#future#for#their#family.#

‣ The#country#that#opened#their#arms#to#us#gave#us#rights#equal#to#all#other#ciAzens#of#their#country##C#the#right#to#educaAon,#healthcare#and#opportuniAes.#They#accepted#and#included#us.#The#risk#that#my#parents#took#at#the#Ame#changed#the#course#of#history#for#our#family#and#future#generaAons.#

‣ Within#one#short#generaAon,#our#family#is#no#longer#a#NongMin#farmer#village#family#C#but#one#that#consists#now#of#educated#professionals#and#entrepreneurs#

10

Conclusion/2b• +++++++++++++++• That/first/day,/dozens/of/migrant/children/are/running/around/the/trashZfilled/alleyways/in/front/of/

me

• They/didn’t/have/much

• But/they/had/a/crea)vity,/energy,/belief/in/their/own/future

• If/same/kids/born/in/NY,/London,/Hong/Kong

• Doctors,/lawyers,/and/godZforbid,/LSE/alumni

• So....3

• May/we/find/the/courage/to/give/migrants/the/same/experience/of/inclusion/as/my/wife/has/been/given

• We/won’t/regret/it

10