中国区域经济趋同的空间异质性研究——来自空间杜宾分位数面板回归的证据

中国区域经济增长是否存在趋同,已有的实证文献在很大程度上忽视了趋同速率的空间异质性。本文基于新古典经济增长理论,构建空间杜宾面板分位数模型,考察了中国336个地级市经济增长趋同的空间异质性。研究表明,中国各地市经济增长总体上呈趋同状态,趋同速率随分位点增大呈U型。考虑资本在区域间自由流动,中低增长地区储蓄率作用显著降低。高增长地区受到周边经济带动作用小于中低增长地区,因而高增长地区的趋同速率更大。进一步分析发现,南、北方地区,东、西部地区均表现出俱乐部趋同特征,而中部地区内部表现出分异态势,即高增长地区发散,低增长地区趋同的特征。识别区域经济增长的空间异质性,对于政府更好地实施区域协调发展战略,缩小区域经济差异非常重要。     

TESTING CATCHING‐UP BETWEEN THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: “GROWTH RESISTANCE” AND SOMETIMES “GROWTH TRAGEDY”

This paper provides empirical evidence that there is no convergence between the GDP per‐capita of the developing countries since 1950. Relying upon recent econometric methodologies (non‐stationary long‐memory models, wavelet models and time‐varying factor representation models), we show that the transition paths to long‐run growth (the catch‐up dynamics) are very persistent over time and non‐stationary, thereby yielding a variety of potential steady states (conditional convergence). Our findings do not support the idea according to which the developing countries share a common factor (such as technology) that eliminates per‐capita output divergence in the very long run. Instead, we conclude that growth is an idiosyncratic phenomenon that yields different forms of transitional economic performance: growth tragedy (some countries with an initial low level of per‐capita income diverge from the richest ones), growth resistance (with many countries experiencing a low speed of growth convergence), and rapid convergence.     

The Role of Foreign Direct Investment on Income Convergence in China after Early 1990s from a Spatial Econometric Perspective

This paper introduces foreign direct investment (FDI) as an endogenous variable based on a neoclassical model of economic growth and investigates the impact of FDI on income convergence in China using provincial panel data from 1991 to 2007. A spatial model is later exploited to further examine the effect of FDI on convergence in China in light of remarkable and positive spatial correlations among neighboring regions. Results of estimates confirm the role of FDI inflow as a significant driving force to promote conditional convergence in China after the early 1990s. They also confirm that the non‐spatial classical model underestimates the impact of FDI on regional economic growth and also underestimates the speed of convergence.     

Soaring dragons,roaring tigers,growling bears

We perform a comparative analysis of regional growth and convergence in China, Russia and India over the period 1993–2003 by means of non‐parametric methods and kernel density estimates. Our results indicate that wealthy regions were largely responsible for the rapid growth in all three countries. For China and India, capital dissipation was identified as the major determinant of regional growth. In Russia, capital deepening impeded positive changes in labour productivity, leaving technological change as the only source of regional growth. Furthermore, we find that the increasing regional income inequality in all three countries was driven by technological change which more than offset the convergence resulting from capital deepening in China and India.     

Spatial analysis of change trend and influencing factors of total factor productivity in China’s regional construction industry

Total factor productivity (TFP) is a measure of long-term economic growth and a comprehensive industry-level productivity measure. There are large gaps in China’s regional construction industry development due to unbalanced regional economy. Based on TFP measurement, this article puts forward a two-hierarchical analysis framework with coefficient of variation, Moran scatterplot and coefficient of convergence to analyse change trend of the construction industry TFP in three major regions in terms of spatial diversity, correlation and convergence. Then, the geographically weighted regression model is utilized to explore the influencing mechanism on the TFP. The results indicate the differences of the regional construction industry TFP are enlarging. There is obvious spatial correlation and heterogeneity in the regional TFP without a relatively stable space pattern. The TFP also exhibits convergence effects among three major regions. The construction industry productivity in all regions is significantly affected by economic environment, industrial organization structure and technological level. Industrial organization structure exerts the various influences on the productivity in different regions.     

中国增长动力切换、时空演变与“双门槛”测度 ——来自省际层面的经验证据

我国经济正处于增速换挡的增长动力切换关键时期,逐步迈向高质量发展阶段。本文基于2000—2022年中国省际层面的面板数据,聚焦研究中国经济增长动力切换问题,探讨了经济增长动力切换的时空演变与“双门槛”效应。结果表明：(1)生产性劳动、研发性劳动、生产投入以及研发投入显著地促进了我国经济增长;(2)中国增长动力切换经历了“生产性劳动与生产投入”、“研发性劳动与生产投入”以及“研发性劳动与研发投入”三个阶段;(3)中国经济增长动力时空演变存在区域异质性和时段异质性,不同区域和时段的经济增长动力存在显著差异;(4)中国经济增长动力切换具有外部制约条件,存在“双门槛”效应。同时,采用主实验加入控制变量前后对比、双边缩尾、排除新冠肺炎疫情影响和倾向得分匹配等方法进行稳健性检验,发现实证结果具有稳健性。本研究有助于理解经济增长动力切换的机制、路径与制约条件,为制定相应的政策和战略提供参考依据。     

HEALTH INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC OUTPUT IN REGIONAL CHINA

Using a 29‐year (1978–2006) panel of provincial‐level data from China, this article investigates the role of health capital in a human capital model of economic output. Robust evidence is found through panel cointegration analysis that health capital has a significant and positive effect on the Gross Regional Product in China; the effect being stronger in the inland regions compared to the coastal areas based on estimates that account for regional heterogeneity. This article highlights and discusses the potential role of diminishing returns to health investment in this globally important area. (JEL I15, R11, C23)     

中国技术进步对能源效率影响的空间计量分析

利用探索性空间数据方法,运用空间滞后模型和空间误差模型对全域能源效率的影响因素进行估计,运用地理加权回归模型对局域能源效率的影响因素进行估计。结果表明:中国省域能源效率存在显著的空间相关性,全域层面的人力资本投入和外资技术溢出是促进能源效率提高的主要因素;从局域层面看,东北经济区的人力资本投入和产业结构调整对能源效率提高的贡献较大,而广东等南部地区省份的外商投资带来的技术溢出对能源效率提高的贡献最大。     

Is foreign trade important for regional growth? Empirical evidence from Portugal

The aim of this study is to investigate whether openness, export shares or trade balances affect regional growth in Portugal. Human capital is also considered as a conditional factor to growth, expressed by the rate of success in high school education. Thus, we analyse whether the combination of international trade and human capital is relevant to explain regional growth in Portugal and how it affects the convergence process between regions. In the empirical analysis, interaction terms are introduced to explore the existence of different performances between regions of the Littoral and the Interior. As an alternative to the traditional approach that considers the population growth rate, we include the share of sectoral employment aiming to capture labour specialisation in the main sectors of economic activity and measure its impact on regional growth.The empirical analysis estimates the conditional convergence model of the Barro's type, applied to the Portuguese NUTS3 regions for the period 1996-2005. The GMM estimation approach applied to regional panel data reveals that factors associated with external trade, human capital and sectoral labour share (especially of the industrial sector) are relevant to explain regional growth and convergence in Portugal.     

人力资本、经济增长与空间溢出效应—基于中国省域面板数据的实证分析

以教育年限和成本法分别核算出我国1982～2011年间人力资本水平,运用ESDA描绘了31个省区"经济增长—人力资本"的空间分布特征,并进行了全域及局域空间相关性检验,随后构建了空间Lucas模型,通过面板回归分析了人力资本对经济增长的空间外溢作用,尔后核算出各省区人力资本空间集聚对经济增长的贡献率。我国省域间人力资本与经济增长在地理空间上呈现出显著的集聚态势,且存在强烈的全域空间相关性,但局域间存在差异性,同时从总体上看,相邻省区人力资本对本省经济增长具有显著的正向溢出效应。     

我国区域经济增长收敛的计量分析

本文利用区域面板数据,对1979--2006年我国区域经济增长的收敛性进行了计量分析。研究结果表明,改革开放以来我国区域经济增长不存在绝对收敛趋势,但东、中、西部三大经济带基本上存在收敛趋势,形成了所谓的“收敛俱乐部”现象;在条件收敛回归中,如果控制了投资率、人力资本水平、非国有化水平、对外开放度、基础设施水平和产业结构等经济变量,我国区域经济增长则呈现显著的条件收敛。     

区域创业、空间溢出与经济增长效应研究

利用我国2005—2017年省级面板数据，基于不同类型空间权重矩阵，通过建立空间杜宾模型，研究创业水平与区域经济增长效应。结果发现: 我国区域经济水平呈现出显著的空间自相关性；机会型创业质量提高对区域经济增长具有显著拉动作用，会促进该区域内部及创业水平相近区域的经济增长，但可能抑制地理位置邻近区域的经济增长；需求型创业在一定程度上制约区域经济发展，可能抑制该区域内部经济增长，但会促进地理位置邻近区域的经济增长；在控制变量中，人力资本存量对经济增长的促进作用最强，溢出效应最大。     

Explaining regional disparities in Central and Eastern Europe

The paper analyses the determinants and the evolution of income disparities across regions within Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) over 1991–2011. We add to the literature in different ways. First, we adapt the categories that Rodriguez‐Pose used for studying convergence among old EU members to CEECs regions. This allows us to assess the relevance of geo‐sectoral groups (urban areas, old industrialized areas and peripheral areas) for newcomer regions. Second, we introduce a new category, that of ‘successful Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)‐based restructuring’ in order to capture regions that, often through considerable FDI, manage to reconvert their old industrial base. We then analyze whether this group helps understand catching‐up/falling behind processes in CEECs. We test the relevance of these groups by means of both non‐parametric and spatial regression analyses. We find that they help explain the increase in within‐countries’ regional disparities especially after the turn of the century.     

The Relationship Between Growth,Total Investment and Inward FDI: Evidence from Time Series Data

This paper explores the causal relationship between growth, total investment and inward FDI in 47 countries. Using error‐correction model, the significance, direction and sign of long‐run and short‐run causal effects between GDP, capital stock and FDI stock are investigated. The miscellaneous results echo the divergent theoretical viewpoints and the mixed empirical results of previous works. However, the evidence found in this study suggests that there are differences in growth mechanism between developed and developing countries, between various developing regions, and between oil‐exporting and non‐oil‐exporting countries. The main policy implication is that capital investment is essential for growth while FDI’s effect is uncertain in developing countries. FDI as well as total investment enhances growth only under some conditions.     

Market access and regional dispersion of human capital accumulation in Turkey

Building on early advances in development economics, the theoretical construct of new economic geography asserts that geography plays a crucial role in educational human capital accumulation. Based on this expectation, this study investigates the impact of market access on provincial human capital accumulation in Turkey. Results indicate that market access matters for understanding why some regions lag behind others in terms of average years of schooling. Our results are robust to the inclusion of spatial mechanisms, different specifications of the spatial weight matrix, endogeneity and alternative measurements of market access and to a host of other factors that affect regional human capital accumulation.     

Labor productivity and technology heterogeneity

This paper investigates the role of technology club heterogeneity in economic growth and convergence. To do so, we break up labor productivity change into three factors – efficiency, technological, and capital–labor ratio changes – while distinguishing the impact of technology club heterogeneity respectively. This allows us to observe what is happening within and between clubs; as well as between the world and club technologies. Our labor productivity decomposition is nonparametric in nature and thus overcomes the issue of specifying functional forms for the club technologies. Our results reveal the existence of technology heterogeneity and divergence: the world technology is defined by advanced and rich countries; there exists intra-convergence phenomena (mostly due to capital–labor ratio change), but inter-convergences (owning to capital–labor ratio and technological changes) are not found. Finally, we argue that follower and marginalized countries have adopted imitating strategies, but with respect to different dimensions, namely technological change or capital–labor ratio.     

追赶战略、人力资本及地区经济增长趋同——基于教育效率的水平创新模型的实证分析

文章基于一个教育效率的水平创新模型分析了落后地区对发达地区的人力资本与经济发展战略问题,指出人力资本是影响技术吸收与创新能力的主要因素。通常所言的静态比较优势战略无法改变落后地区在人力资本上的比较劣势,因而落后地区也就无法发挥所谓的后发优势进而实现与发达地区间的经济收敛。而只有基于教育质量与人力资本积累效率的提高,实行人力资本的动态比较优势战略或追赶战略才能让落后地区提高学习效率,真正发挥后发优势实现经济赶超。最后文章以中国为例验证了这一结论并简要提出了促进落后地区经济快速增长的政策建议。     

Convergence as a heterogeneous process: what can be learnt about convergence in EMU from regional experiences?

We augment the existing literature on regional convergence by uncovering a number of stylized facts on the heterogeneity of regional convergence processes in the absence of currency devaluation as a key policy instrument, and use them to highlight reform strategies that are most likely to be conducive to a successful catching-up of the periphery countries of EMU. We show that regional convergence processes in Europe were extremely heterogeneous, highly discontinuous and strongly concentrated during the last two decades. These stylized facts question the focus of the traditional literature on average (β-)convergence and suggest substantial nonlinearities in regional convergence processes that have yet to be understood in detail. Our results further suggest that growth strategies based on increasing human capital investments and innovation capacities are the most likely to be successful in triggering convergence of lagging regions in currency unions.     

Banking solvency determinants in the EU: a model based on stress tests

Using a multilevel regression model, this article aims to find determinants of banking solvency in the European Union. The endogenous variable is defined as the capital ratio determined by stress tests. Both internal (financial ratios and sovereign debt exposures) and external (macroeconomic indicators) variables are proposed as covariates. The results reveal that capitalization, earnings, assets structure and exposure to PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) sovereign debt are significant among the former, and economic growth, interest and exchange rates, and real estate prices among the latter.