This book, as a case study of small town China using Hongton County, Shanxi Province as its focus, suggests that outside the larger cities there may be alternative accounts of urban social change and the integration of rural migrant workers and that China's transformation may not necessarily result in dysfunctional and social polarized urban environments.

Introduction: Economic Reform, Urbanisation and Rural Migrants 1. Regional Inequalities and Social Development in Shanxi Province 2. Urbanisation, Rural-Urban Linkages and the Urban Labour Market 3. Urbanisation and Housing Provision 4 Decentralisation and Social Security 5. Health and Education 6. Conclusion: Townisation, Rural Workers and Social Inclusion