Suggest how globalisation increases migration flows towards megacities such as Shanghai (10)

Globalisation has allowed countries such as China to liberalise their trade in order to attract TNCs and foreign investment to increase their economic growth. This has led to the creation of EPZs (Export Processing Zones) in the periphery. This is usually where TNCs set up factories at low costs due to the lax in taxing. This is evident in Shanghai as it will create more jobs and so act as a pull factor for migrants such as the 6 million temporary economic migrants living in the city currently. A related pull factor is that not only wikll there be an increase in jobs but also an increase in incomes compared to those in rural areas. For example, this is seen in the municipality of Chongqing where there is an annual income of £730 compared to the £219 in the countryside regions surrounding it. This creares the perception of higher standards of living, acting as a pull factor. Another factor is that globalisation has allowed governments to expand in public spending as they have more income for investment. This may be evident through improvements in housing, transport and infrastructure, which are economic pull factors towards megacities. 

Another social pull factor may be that urban areas have higher levels of both eductation and healthcare. If rural communities lack sanitation facilties as they often do in developing countries, they are more susceptible to disease contamination. Therefore, migrants may have the perception that megacities have better environmental quality and healthcare due to the increased level of affluence. Another pull factor may be that urban areas are more open to development due to government programmes focusing on cities as opposed to smaller impact bottom-up local rural programmes.