The effects of agglomeration externalities on urban green total-factor productivity in China

For China's urban industrial layout and green development, determining which types of agglomeration externalities are most advantageous to the rise of green total-factor productivity has both theoretical and practical relevance. This research experimentally studies the effects of three types of agglomeration externalities on urban green total-factor productivity using the data of 285 Chinese cities from 2003 to 2018. The findings demonstrate that urban green total-factor output is rising, albeit with certain differences during different time periods. Both the Jacobs externality and the Porter externality are favorable for increasing urban green total-factor production when all cities are evaluated together, although the latter has a stronger promoting influence. The effect of the Marshall-Arrow-Romer externality, on the other hand, is not significant. Furthermore, these effects also depend on the stage of economic development and population size.     

The Nature of Cities: The Scope and Limits of Urban Theory

There has been a growing debate in recent decades about the range and substance of urban theory. The debate has been marked by many different claims about the nature of cities, including declarations that the urban is an incoherent concept, that urban society is nothing less than modern society as a whole, that the urban scale can no longer be separated from the global scale, and that urban theory hitherto has been deeply vitiated by its almost exclusive concentration on the cities of the global North. This article offers some points of clarification of claims like these. All cities can be understood in terms of a theoretical framework that combines two main processes, namely, the dynamics of agglomeration/polarization, and the unfolding of an associated nexus of locations, land uses and human interactions. This same framework can be used to identify many different varieties of cities, and to distinguish intrinsically urban phenomena from the rest of social reality. The discussion thus identifies the common dimensions of all cities without, on the one hand, exaggerating the scope of urban theory, or on the other hand, asserting that every individual city is an irreducible special case.     

The Geography of Innovation in China and India

The BRICS countries in general, and China and India in particular, are now widely regarded as the areas of the world likely to challenge the economic leadership of the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). A large part of this challenge will come from rapid technological catch‐up by China and India. Yet, despite a recent rise in interest, there is limited knowledge about how and where innovation takes place in these two leading emerging countries and to what extent the Chinese and Indian territorial systems of innovation differ from those in the EU or the US. In this article we explore the geography of innovation in China and India, concentrating on understanding key territorial‐level innovation trends by country, region and technology field, using the US and the EU as benchmarks. We find significant contrasts between the geography of innovation in China and India and that of the US and the EU. First, the degree of concentration of innovative activities in both countries is extremely high. Levels of agglomeration of innovation in the coastal provinces of China, as well as in Delhi and the South of India, significantly exceed the levels of agglomeration found in the USA and the EU. Secondly, China has witnessed a more rapid increase in the degree of concentration of innovation than India. We posit that the differences in the geography of innovation between, on the one hand, China and India and, on the other hand, between these countries and the developed world are rooted in different institutional settings, different systems of innovation and different national innovation strategies.     

中国城市集聚与扩散的转换规模及最优规模研究

以我国211个主要地级及地级以上城市为研究对象,其中包括除拉萨以外的30个省会城市、5个计划单列城市以及176个地级市.收集了1989-2003年及2000-2005年各城市的连续时间序列数据,构建了城市集聚与扩散的Panel-data模型,并运用该模型分别估算了各城市的相对规模收益和相对外部成本,然后通过收益与成本的对比分析,判断城市发展所处的阶段,找出城市以集聚为主向以扩散为主转换的城市规模.研究发现:目前,除上海市处于扩散阶段外,我国其它城市都处于以集聚为主的发展阶段,且在这些城市中,绝大部分城市的规模收益的增长速度要快于其外部成本.     

How does the development of urban agglomeration affect the electricity efficiency of resource-based cities?—An empirical research based on the fsQCA method

Urban agglomeration impacts the electricity efficiency of resource-based cities. Under the background, the paths that lead to high level electricity efficiency are not clear. Therefore, it is difficult to guide the socio-economic planning. This paper assumes that the influence of urban agglomeration includes agglomeration and diffusion effect. Then, this paper uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore the paths lead to high-level electricity efficiency. The process includes the measurement of electricity efficiency, the selection and quantification of action conditions, and path analysis. Four main conclusions are obtained. First, the positive impact of urban agglomeration on the electricity efficiency of resource-based cities is achieved through the optimal allocation of regional resources. Second, compared with the paths under diffusion effect, the paths under agglomeration effect are more diversified. Third, the effects of two kinds of paths are obvious: the agglomeration of non-resource-based industries to central cities and the diffusion of green production from central cities. Fourth, the diffusion of green production depends on the sustainability of resource-based cities. The research conclusion can improve the energy and sustainability policies of urban agglomerations and resource-based cities, and the improved policies will improve the efficiency of regional resource allocation and will promote the electricity efficiency and sustainability of resource-based cities.     

城市群协调发展:内涵、概念模型与实现路径

城市群是一定地域内的一组相互密切联系的城市,这组城市之间存在着规模等级和空间结构及功能分工,具有共同的利益目标和与之相对应的集体行为。城市群协调发展是在内生与外生动力双重作用下系统秩序逐渐形成、整体发展能力不断增强的演进过程,包括城市群内部的各个城市之间相互开放,形成有利于资源和要素自由流动,实现资源和要素优化配置的环境;通过竞争优选或者政府推动,形成以产业分工和合作为主要内容的功能分化,依此形成日益密切的经济联系和发展上的依赖、互动关系;通过城市之间的平等协商或上一级政府的安排,共同解决跨区域的交通、通信、资源开发、环境保护等公共领域的问题,降低交易成本。实现城市群协调发展的路径有城市群发展战略与规划、政策法规、空间管制与生态环境治理、要素流动、企业跨区域发展以及产业分工与合作。     

Second-best cost–benefit analysis in monopolistic competition models of urban agglomeration

This paper examines the agglomeration benefits of a transportation improvement in a city by modeling the microstructure of urban agglomeration based on monopolistic competition of differentiated intermediate products. Properly extended to include variety distortion in addition to price distortion, Harberger’s measure of excess burden yields the agglomeration benefits. The agglomeration benefits are positive if increasing the variety is procompetitive; however, in the anticompetitive case, we cannot exclude the possibility of negative additional benefits. If there are multiple cities, the net agglomeration benefits can be negative when other cities that experience a reduction in population have larger agglomeration economies.     

An indirect test of efficient city sizes

This paper develops a model which demonstrates necessary conditions for efficient distribution of labor across areas given the presence of agglomeration economies and congestion externalities. An indirect empirical test for efficient allocation is formulated based on a comparison of estimated agglomeration economies with the compensating variation in occupation-specific wages needed to attract workers to larger cities. The results of this test suggest that there are specific city size ranges where necessary conditions for efficient allocation of resources are not met, particularly for cities in the 1.5 to 2.5 million population range. Current claims that continued growth of the largest U. S. cities is inefficient are not confirmed by the empirical results.     

Gender and ethnic earnings gaps in seven West African cities

In this paper, we measure, compare and analyse gender and ethnic earnings gaps in seven West African capitals using data from an original series of urban household surveys. Our results show that gender earnings gaps are large in all the cities in our sample with significant variations across cities. Cities with large gender earnings gaps are also where gender education gaps are wider and where the female labour market participation is highest. Decomposition of the gender gaps shows that differences in characteristics explain around 40% of the raw gender gap on average, but this varies somewhat across cities. The results of the full decomposition of the gender earnings gaps suggest that differences in sector allocation contribute, on average, to one third of gender earnings gaps. Gender gaps are very wide in the informal sector and differences in micro-firm characteristics also account for differences in self-employment earnings. In contrast to the large gender earnings gaps measured in the seven cities, majority ethnic groups do not appear to be in a systematically advantageous position on the urban labour markets in our sample of cities, and observed gaps are small compared with gender gaps. Looking at more detailed levels of ethnic disaggregation, ethnic earnings differentials are found to be systematically smaller than gender differentials. Moreover, none of the minority “favoured” groups seem to have any relation to the ethnicity of the Head of State at the time of the survey. Holding productive characteristics constant, some unexplained differences persist however.     

基于社会网络分析的长三角城市群网络结构研究

城市群网络化发展是长江三角洲区域一体化发展的基本特征之一.研究以长三角城市群内16个主要城市经济联系为实证,从社会网络分析视角,对城市群网络的基本形式、网络结构属性及内部微观特征进行分析.结果显示长三角城市间已互动形成紧密的网络状关联,但网络内各城市结点间中心性不均衡、枢纽型城市较少,区域多中心、网络化协同发展格局显现...     

Spatial agglomeration and endogenous growth

This paper constructs a dynamic general equilibrium model with spatial interactions in which a human capital externality is the centripetal force towards agglomeration. The resource cost of transportation is, on the other hand, the main centrifugal force, preventing a city from growing unboundedly. A central feature of our analysis is the dynamic interaction between (perpetual) economic growth and (bounded) city growth. We examine the socially optimal and the decentralized growth rates as well as city sizes. In the decentralized environment, individuals under-invest, whereas cities are under-populated. We show how public policies may enable a decentralized city to attain the socially optimal allocation.     

生产性服务业集聚推进城市化了吗？

本文在外部性和新经济地理综合框架下研究中国284个地级市生产性服务业集聚对城市化的影响。结果显示,生产性服务业专业化和多样化集聚对城市化具有显著的技术溢出效应,且专业化集聚作用效果更明显;而生产性服务业空间集聚规模则通过市场外部性作用于城市化。生产性服务业专业化集聚对西部地区影响大于东、中部,而多样化集聚和空间集聚规模的作用由东向西依次递减;国内市场、国际市场亦对各地区生产性服务业集聚效应产生不同程度的影响     

Sustainable procurement: Past,present and future

Sustainable procurement is increasingly on the agenda for purchasing and supply managers seeking to demonstrate corporate social responsibility in their supply chains. In this paper, we identify trends in the literature and establish that this is a burgeoning field. We identify methodological challenges and research gaps to guide future research. We propose a sustainable procurement framework to help structure future research across supply chains. Finally, we introduce each of the papers in the special issue, and identify what makes them stand out as making a novel contribution to research in the field.     

Agglomeration economies in urban manufacturing industries: A case of Japanese cities

The effects of urban agglomeration economies on productivities in two-digit manufacturing industries is estimated using the cross section data of Japanese cities in 1979. Urbanization and localization economies, which are major forms of urban agglomeration economies, are explicitly separated. The estimates of these economies vary considerably among industries. Light industries receive more productive advantages from urbanization economies than from localization economies, but heavy industries experience these economies more from localization economies than from urbanization economies.     

中国城镇化的集聚水平与经济效率--江苏和浙江两省的比较研究

在关于新型城镇化的讨论中,人口到底如何流动、集聚程度应该为何,是受到热议的话题。从市县层面出发,选取江苏省和浙江省的各地级市作为样本,观察其人口和经济活动是否向市区集聚,亦或是在各个县城分散。随后借鉴已有学术研究观点,从经济结构、经济开放程度和行政力量的强弱等角度,解释样本城市的集聚现象,最后探讨城市的集聚是否能够带来市区经济效率的提升和经济增长速度的加快。     

Spurious Agglomeration

This paper shows that an incentive problem in investment can lead to an excessive concentration of economic activity. The incentive problem arises from the concern of developers for their reputations; they have a tendency to imitate each other′s location decisions because they fear denial of future credit if they make eccentric choices that do not work out. The excessive concentration can manifest itself in cities that are too large or in too many firms of one type choosing a location. In the extreme case, cities may exist in equilibrium even in the absence of agglomeration economies. The inefficiency can, however, be alleviated by an appropriate agglomeration tax.     

广西北部湾经济区经济增长极研究——以南宁市为例

南宁市在广西北部湾经济区中,具有政策、经济规模和区位产业定位、先导产业的优势,但也存在经济规模亟待扩大、基础产业发展不均衡、增长缓慢、与经济区其他城市产业不协调,城市群产业链条薄弱等问题.文章提出南宁市应大力发展中小型企业,拓展经济规模,科学规划和引导区域产业集群,增强集群驱动力,转变角色定位,促成城市产业链形成,发挥税收激励作用,实现产业升级的政策建议.     

空间外部性、比较优势与制造业集聚

本文综合传统比较优势和外部性因素在新经济地理框架下建立理论和计量模型研究了我国284个地级市制造业集聚的影响机制及其地区差异。结果表明,传统比较优势仍是影响制造业区位的重要因素;各级城市之间存在明显的要素供给与市场需求的空间关联性,且已超过传统比较优势成为制造业集聚的主要来源;传统比较优势与空间外部性对制造业集聚的作用分别由西到东和由东到西依次递减。该结果为进一步促进区际产业转移和协调发展提供了重要启示。     

高端聚集:中国经济空间发展战略

中国未来发展面临的许多重大挑战都与经济的空间结构调整密切相关。本文提出了基于国土空间整体、以高端聚集为中心的中国经济空间发展战略。首先以美国为例阐述经济高端聚集这种空间发展模式在辽阔的国土地域上的实现过程;然后分析中国经济的高端聚集趋势以及所面临的空间分割和低端离散的局面。本文认为,中国目前应该实施无地域分割的空间发展政策,推动要素自由流动和区域自由贸易,促使中国经济包括市场、人口和产业走向持续高端聚集的发展轨道。     

Total Factor Productivity Growth and Urbanization Economies: A Case of Indian Industries

Based on panel data for fifteen major states in India, this paper provides evidence in favor of the existence of urbanization economies. In eleven of seventeen two-digit industry groups, total factor productivity growth is responsive to urban population or industrial spread. Although the impact of these variables taken to capture agglomeration economies on total factor productivity growth is not monotonic, economic policy would yield a sub-optimal outcome by ignoring the positive effect of the size factor. Urban population or industrial spread benefits firms by possibly improving the quality of labor and enhancing the productive utilization of resources.