Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>In the rapid urbanization of the Global South, migrant workers have long faced the dilemma of semi-urbanization. China's urban-rural amphibious pattern and circular migration provide a particularly concrete manifestation of this issue. Based on Amartya Sen's capability approach, this study constructs an evaluation system for migrant workers' citizenization capability across three dimensions: employment transition, social interaction, and urban adaptation. The system contains 11 indicators. Using data from the Chinese General Social Survey for 2012–2021, this study applies the entropy-weighted technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) model and exploratory spatial data analysis. These methods measure the citizenization capability of new-generation migrant workers and examine its spatiotemporal evolution. The results show that: (1) over time, citizenization capability generally follows a fluctuating pattern of rising first, then declining, and then slowly rising again; (2) structurally, urban adaptation capability at the psychological level scores the highest, whereas employment transition capability at the economic foundation level scores the lowest; and (3) spatially, citizenization capability displays a stepwise declining pattern characterized by stronger performance in the east and weaker performance in the west. This study reveals the dual constraints imposed by institutional barriers and insufficient human capital on migrant workers' citizenization. It also proposes policy recommendations, including deepening hukou system reform and improving human capital, with the aim of providing decision-making references for advancing a people-centered new-type urbanization strategy and contributing Chinese experience to the global process of semi-urbanization.</p>