Estimation of eco-efficiency and identification of its influencing factors in China's Yangtze River Delta urban agglomerations

Eco-efficiency is an important indicator which serves as a helpful instrument for the studies of sustainable development. This paper estimated the eco-efficiency of 26 cities in China's Yangtze River Delta urban agglomerations. Based on different matrixes, Moran's I was applied to analyze the spatial correlation. The spatial Durbin model was applied to analyze the direct and indirect effect of influencing factors. Some conclusions were drawn. (a) The average eco-efficiency showed an increasing trend. The regional difference of eco-efficiency decreased and then increased. Shanghai's eco-efficiency had been the highest. (b) The eco-efficiency showed positive spatial autocorrelation and it also exhibited significant characteristic of local spatial autocorrelation. (c) Economic development, fixed assets investment, and technological level of one city had a significant positive impact on the eco-efficiency of the city itself. Industrial structure, fiscal decentralization, and foreign direct investment of a city had a significant negative impact on the eco-efficiency of the city itself. Changes in the economic development and technological levels in a city had positive impacts on the eco-efficiency of its neighboring cities. Foreign direct investment had a negative spatial spillover effect. (d) This paper suggested that it is necessary to pay attention to the interaction of influencing factors among cities.     

Whether polycentric spatial structure is conducive to regional coordinated development: A study on urban agglomerations in China

With the aggravation of congestion, pollution, and other negative externalities generated by continued urbanization, polycentric strategies have gradually become one of the main urban and regional spatial strategies. It remains unclear, however, whether the polycentric structure is conducive to regional coordinated development. This study examines these issues using China's urban agglomerations (UAs) as a sample. The Prolonged Artificial Nighttime-light Dataset of China (PANDA) was used to measure the polycentric structure. The results of the nonparametric identification of sub-centers show that almost all of China's UAs exhibit multiple (sub)centers, and the number of (sub)centers in most UAs has increased from 1992 to 2020. Empirical analysis shows that a polycentric structure is beneficial for narrowing regional disparities within the UA, and the narrowing effect of the polycentric structure on regional disparities increases as the distance between centers increases. Furthermore, a polycentric spatial structure is more conducive to the economic growth of small cities in UA, thereby promoting the coordinated development of regions within UA.     

长三角城市土地集约利用度时空特征研究

研究旨在分析长三角城市土地集约利用的时空分异特征及其驱动因素,以期为城市提出因地制宜的土地集约利用对策提供借鉴,采用改进熵值法来评价2007—2013年长三角城市土地集约利用水平,用Spearman秩相关系数和变异系数反映土地集约利用随时间变化特征,并且通过空间自相关分析来揭示其空间特征。研究期以2008年为界,划分成土地集约利用缓慢增长期和快速增长期。研究期内上海、南京和杭州等城市土地集约利用水平显著上升,无锡和苏州等小幅上升,南通和泰州等小幅下降,城市间土地集约利用水平差异逐渐缩小;土地集约利用中高等和低等水平城市分别呈现半环式和条带式分布特征;土地集约利用水平较高（低）的城市在空间分布上多为高（低）值中心,但空间相关性较弱。区位因素、产业发展水平以及土地市场化水平对土地集约利用水平均有影响。各地应有的放矢地提升土地集约利用水平,同时应发挥中心城市的涓滴效应以加强城市之间的联系。     

Spatial evaluation of knowledge spillover benefits in China’s free trade zone provinces and cities

China has established several free trade zones (FTZs) in recent years, which are becoming new drivers of growth for regional economic development. As the FTZ reform deepens, protecting intellectual property rights and improving application systems have become important for encouraging innovation in FTZs. To understand the knowledge spillover effects in different FTZs, this paper selects indicators at different levels of knowledge evaluation and uses the 2017 data of the provinces and cities where the first three batches of FTZs set up by China are located as samples to perform empirical analysis on knowledge spillover effects with a corrected spatial knowledge spillover model. According to the evaluation, the spatial knowledge spillover effects vary among FTZs—the spatial knowledge spillover effects of economically developed regions are smaller (0.0421), while their spillover effects on other FTZs are bigger (0.0795). In addition, the knowledge spillover effects of adjacent FTZ provinces and cities are significantly greater; the spatial spillover effects of southeastern coastal FTZ provinces and cities are more than those of central and western regions as well as northeastern provinces and cities (0.0795; 0.0533; 0.0672). This study is helpful for governments and policy makers to develop appropriate incentive policies for knowledge innovation targeting the knowledge spillover characteristics of different FTZs.     

Regional impact and spillover effect of public infrastructure investment: An empirical study in the Yangtze River Delta,China

Since China's reform and opening up, public infrastructure investments have significantly improved. These investments drive China's long-term economic growth. Based on panel data of 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta from 2006 to 2017, the simultaneous equation models (SEMs) are constructed to explore the regional impact and spillover effect of infrastructures with resolving endogenous problems. Public infrastructure investment remains to have a systemic effect on household income, urban population, and land prices in certain regions. In certain region, the estimated coefficients of public infrastructure investment are consistent with expectations and significant, which are 0.523, 0.142, and 0.781 with three-stage least squares method. And the endogenous variables also affect public infrastructure investment. But, the coefficient of the spatial term is −0.019, negative and not significant. The cross-regional spillover effect of public infrastructure investment is nonsignificant using the generalized spatial three-stage least squares method.     

How does financial agglomeration affect green development? Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta of China

An extensive economic growth mode leads to resource depletion and environmental degradation. Green development is the best way to solve this problem. We analyzed the sample data of 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta of China from 2007 to 2019. We used the spatial Durbin model and interaction term model to study the effects of regional financial agglomeration (FA) on green development and the moderating role of green technology innovation. The results show that FA promotes local green development but inhibits the green development of neighboring areas. Because the polarization effect of the growth pole is greater than its dispersion effect, cities with high levels of FA have a strong “siphon effect” on the surrounding areas. Green technology innovation positively moderates the promoting effect of FA on green development; the higher the level of green technology innovation and the degree of emphasis on it, the stronger the promoting effect. The government should encourage green finance to promote green technology innovation and promote the green development of the regional economy. These findings provide new insights for developing countries to achieve sustainable development under environmental constraints.     

How does industrial agglomeration affect regional innovation? A spatial econometric analysis

This study empirically investigates the direct and indirect (spillover) effects of three types of industrial agglomeration with different cognitive distances, namely, industrial specialization, industrial related variety, and industrial unrelated variety, on regional innovation. Accordingly, we applied the concepts of related and unrelated variety and used spatial econometric analysis. Based on panel data of 283 Chinese cities from 2004 to 2016, the empirical results reveal that both industrial specialization and industrial related variety significantly improve regional innovation and produce positive spatial spillover effects on the surrounding regions. However, industrial unrelated variety has a significant negative impact on regional innovation and produces a negative spatial spillover effect on the surrounding regions. Moreover, the direct and indirect effects of the three types of industrial agglomeration on regional innovation between China's coastal and inland cities. The findings have important theoretical and policy implications.     

Spatio-temporal pattern evolution and spatial spillover effect of green development efficiency: Evidence from Shandong Province,China

Improving green development efficiency is urgently required, yet challenging, since it comprehensively reflects the bidirectional evolutionary relationship between regional development and resource and environmental consumption. The issue of regional green development efficiency has become a key topic; however, where the increase in efficiency originates and its spatial spillover effect remains unclear to date. Therefore, the spatial spillover effect of the green development efficiency of Shandong Province was quantified through the slack variable (SBM)-Undesirable and Spatial Durbin model. The green development efficiency showed clear spatial differentiation in Shandong Province. This was more obvious than the polarized development trend of the provincial capital circle that has Jinan at its core and the eastern coastal region with Qingdao at its core. Green development efficiency has a significant spatial spillover effect. The regression coefficient of the direct effect of the economic development level is positive. The regression coefficient of the indirect effect of the marketization level and government financial support level is negative. Science and technology played a positive role in the promotion of the green development efficiency of local and neighboring cities. This study contributes empirical evidence to the green development efficiency associated with regional development and resource and environment consumption of Shandong Province.     

Can regional collaborative innovation improve innovation efficiency? An empirical study of Chinese cities

The relationship between collaborative innovation and innovation efficiency has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. However, few studies have integrated intra-regional and inter-regional collaborative innovations (IRCI) into a unified framework to analyze the overall impact of regional innovation efficiency. To fill this gap, this paper uses an improved Data Envelopment Analysis Model to measure the innovation efficiency of Chinese cities from 2003 to 2016 based on the regional innovation capability. Using the Coupling Coordination Degree Model to measure the degree of intra-regional collaborative innovation, we constructed a Capability Structure Model to measure the degree of IRCI, then used the Spatial Durbin Model to empirically analyze the influence of intra-regional and IRCI on regional innovation efficiency. The results show that: (a) both intra-regional and IRCI promote regional innovation efficiency, but the internal factors are the primary influences on regional innovation efficiency; (b) intra-regional collaborative innovation not only promotes local regional innovation efficiency but also promotes innovation efficiency in other regions effectively, although its driving effect on the local region is higher than on other regions; (c) there is a time lag in promoting regional innovation efficiency through the cooperation and interaction among innovation in knowledge, technological, industrial, and service, and environment capabilities. The regional innovation capacities can result in good collaborative innovation effects only after a certain period of cooperation.     

Recasting the City into City‐Regions: Place Promotion,Competitiveness Benchmarking and the Quest for Urban Supremacy

ABSTRACT This essay critically examines twenty‐two studies designed to measure the competitiveness of cities and city‐regions. We suggest that while this research may show statistical correlations between different dimensions of competitiveness, there is little in the way of causation. More fundamentally, our main point is to question the utility of such studies. Regional disparities in terms of wealth and living standards are well known; simply recasting the spatial scale to the city or the city‐region does not change the underlying fundamentals of regional performance.     

内蒙古自治区农业生产效率测算及影响因素研究

为了解内蒙古自治区各盟市农业生产效率概况,进而分析影响其农业生产效率的主要因素。以内蒙古自治区11个盟市为研究对象,通过数据包络分析法(DEA)测算出各盟市农业生产效率,并使用Tobit回归模型分析影响农业生产效率的因素。结果显示：内蒙古自治区整体农业生产效率较好,但只有4个盟市做到了DEA完全有效,其他盟市仍需提升;农业生产效率的地区集中性不明显,地广人稀的地区效率更高。在影响农业生产效率的因素中,政府支农力度和农业规模化生产有明显正向作用,而地区农业依存度负向作用显著。研究结果对内蒙古自治区农业生产效率有了进一步认识,对提高农业生产效率有一定借鉴作用。     

基于DEA的我国生鲜农产品冷链物流空间效率测度及提升策略研究

通过测度我国生鲜农产品冷链物流空间效率,对全国31省市生鲜农产品冷链效率差异进行分析,对提升农产品冷链物流效率提出对策建议。以全国31个省市为分析对象,采集2017—2021年面板数据,利用DEA 3.0从静态和动态两个维度对我国各省市农产品冷链物流空间效率进行测度,构建CCR模型和BCC模型分析静态效率,利用Malmquist指数分析动态效率。结果表明：我国整体冷链物流效率水平较高,但距离DEA效率前沿面还存在一定差距,各地区冷链物流效率呈现出空间差异性,技术进步变化对全要素生产力有显著推动作用。提出要提升农产品冷链物流效率各地区需结合实际情况,加大政府规划指引,促进冷链物流技术革新,培养冷链物流技术人才,提高冷链物流管理水平,促进我国农产品冷链物流协调发展。     

The Evolution Characteristics of Spatial Layout of Ancient Chinese Capitals: A Case Study of Sui,Tang and Northern Song Dynasties With Important Changes in the Historical Development of Feudal Society

Imperial city and outer city are the most important differentiation of the spatial structure of ancient Chinese capitals.The relationship between city and Guo changed from the original spatial structure mode of "respecting the west" and "sitting in the west and facing the east" to the spatial structure mode of "sitting in the north and facing the south" and the three outer cities in the east,south and west surrounding the imperial city after the Wei,Jin,Southern and Northern Dynasties,and gradually changed from the original "multi palace" system to the "single palace" system.Finally,a "heavy city" capital spatial structure with the outer city around the imperial city and the imperial city around the palace city,and the central axis of the chessboard format was formed.During the Tang and Song Dynasties,it was a period of great change in the history of feudal society in China.Through the investigation of the evolution characteristics of the spatial form of capital cities in the Tang and Song Dynasties,the track of the transformation of social ideology,political system,economic structure and many other fields in the Tang and Song Dynasties was made clear.     

Firm Innovation and Co‐Location in Portugal

This paper investigates the geographical distribution and concentration of firms’ innovation persistence and innovation type (product and process) based on three waves of the Portuguese Community Innovation Survey data covering the period 1998–2006. The main findings are: 1) both innovation persistence and innovation type are asymmetrically distributed across Portuguese regions, 2) the degree of correlation between geographical location and innovative output varies with the innovation type, and 3) the correlation between geographical unit and innovation increases when the spatial unit of analysis is narrower. The results suggest that the firms’ choices of geographical location have a long‐lasting effect, engendering no equal probabilities of being persistently innovative.     

Global‐local initiatives in FDI: The experience of Shenzhen,China

Abstract: In 2002, China surpassed the USA to become the world's largest foreign investment destination. Many Chinese cities, especially those along the coast, have become hot spots for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The urban development of these Chinese cities, as in most market societies, has increasingly depended upon their global connections. However, it is unclear to what degree the governments of these cities are able to influence the decisions of foreign investors. This paper uses Shenzhen city as a case study to examine how multi‐nationals’ spatial and sectoral patterns have been changed over time and to what degree the local government has been able to influence multinationals’ locational and sectoral selection. It is concluded that Shenzhen has managed to create a strategy to maximise its ability to benefit from global economic forces and to attract multinational manufacturers in the locality, and particularly in increasing its target sector of technology‐intensive industry. This case study demonstrates the importance of a strong city government in managing growth and reacting decisively to globalisation.     

The structure and proximity mechanism of formal innovation networks: Evidence from Shanghai high‐tech ITISAs

The discussion on innovation networks of patents or papers has attracted many economic geographers; however, the Industrial Technology Innovation Strategy Alliance (ITISA) has been ignored, although it is also an important innovation form of firms, and the formation mechanism of alliance innovation networks is unclear. This study is based on the data of Shanghai high‐tech ITISAs between 2010 and 2015, and employs the methods of social networks and negative binomial regression to analyse the actor structure, spatial structure, and proximity mechanism of innovation networks of Shanghai high‐tech ITISAs. Results highlight the following: (a) Firms comprise the largest number of actors in alliance innovation networks, and universities, research institutions, and industry associations also play some roles. (b) The local and rooted characteristics of the innovation networks of ITISAs are obvious. The spatial distribution of innovation partners is mainly in Shanghai, and a few innovation actors are located in neighbouring cities, such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Ningbo in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration. (c) Proximity significantly promotes the formation of innovation networks in an ITISA and contributes to the improvement of innovation ability, and organizational proximity plays a greater role than geographical proximity or cognitive proximity.     

Collaboration,Transferable and Non‐transferable Knowledge,and Innovation: A Study of a Cool Climate Wine Industry (Canada)

The connection between innovation and territory is increasingly being questioned as evidence shows that collaboration and information exchange are not necessarily localised. However, this general observation may differ depending on the industry and type of exchange studied: some types of information may be more transferable than others. This may particularly be the case in the wine industry which, especially in Canada, is concentrated in a few regions, each with its own climate, geography, and institutions. This paper examines the nature and geography of collaboration in this industry, with emphasis on the relative importance of different sources of knowledge, the spatial dimension of exchanges, and their relevance for innovation. We find that certain knowledge exchanges are localised, particularly those that are closely associated with local growing conditions, whereas other more generic industry‐level exchanges occur at a wider spatial scale. Local knowledge transfers are characterised less by the type of knowledge exchanged than by the fact that it focuses on local conditions, and is therefore of little value outside the region.     

Land supply and urbanization strategy in the Yangtze River Delta region,China

China's urbanization rate is increasing beyond sustainable levels because it has increased by approximately 1% every year in the last 30 years. As an important part of urban development, the selection of an urbanization strategy has been the focus of local governments. As such, local governments play an important role in urbanization processes by coordinating land supply and population growth. Using the 2009–2013 panel data of 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, this research tests the relationship between land supply and population growth to explore the urbanization strategy adopted by local governments. Simultaneous equation models for land supply and population growth are developed in this research. Empirical results identify land supply as the cause and population growth as the effect. Findings suggest that local governments in the YRD choose an aggressive strategy in urbanization which treats land as a tool for accelerating the urbanization.     

Measuring the Containment and Spillover Effects of Urban Growth Boundaries: The Case of the Portland Metropolitan Area

Although urban growth boundaries (UGBs) are increasingly used as a containment policy to promote contiguous and compact urban forms, little is known about how UGBs affect development within the designated area or how development is displaced to other cities. This study analyzes the UGB's containment and spillover effects, focusing on the case of the Portland metropolitan area where UGBs have long been implemented. This is accomplished by employing a spatial market disequilibrium framework in which explicit consideration is given to the containment and spillover processes when under the influences of UGBs. The findings suggest that UGBs can promote development within the boundaries, but that cooperation with neighboring municipalities is necessary to effectively attain the policy goals.     

Innovation in suburban development zones: Evidence from Nanjing,China

While suburban areas have been typically related with urban sprawl, low density, cheap land price and low‐end manufacturing industries, relatively little attention has been paid to the spatial organization of innovation in suburban areas. In some Chinese cities, development zones (kai fa qu) in their suburban areas which are generally regarded as major spaces for traditional manufacturing industries have been transforming into spaces for innovation. This paper provides a case study of Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province in Eastern China by investigating and explaining the learning and innovation processes in suburban development zones. Drawing upon a unique database on 733 state‐certified high‐tech firms in Nanjing from 2008 to 2012 which contains detailed information on their addresses and number of patents, we observe strong spatial disparity in the distribution of innovation. Suburban districts of Nanjing where its three national‐level development zones and many provincial‐level development zones are located have become major spaces for innovation of the city. The planning of industrial clusters in development zones, the place‐based investment in the suburbs, and the suburbanization of universities are three major mechanisms behind the learning and innovation processes in Nanjing’s suburban development zones.