Inquiry Into Economic Issues.
0, ():
80-88.
Abstract: We focus on the influences of metropolitan spatial structures on economic performance using panel data of 12 metropolitan areas in China. We propose to measure metropolitan spatial structure by two indexes, Locational Gini Index and Centrality Index, standing for agglomeration level and agglomeration structure respectively. Using this method, we have quantified spatial structures of these 12 metropolitan areas and analyzed their main features. Furthermore, we use panel data models to explore how metropolitan structures affect economic performances. We have four major conclusions. First of all, we find that the spatial structures of the 12 metropolitan areas we focus are relatively stable across time, which is in accordance with previous research results. Besides, we find a negative relation between Centrality Index and economic performance, thus leading to the conclusion that a dominant central city is not a high-efficiency structure. Third, we can note that most of these metropolitan areas are high both in Locational Gini Index and Centrality Index. Using fixed-effect regression models, we find that agglomeration level has an inverted U-shaped effect on economic performances, indicating that agglomeration per se has a two-sided effect on the progress of economic development, and there exists an optimal agglomeration level as for the economic development of a specific metropolitan area. By adding an interaction variable into the regression model, we conclude that the economic productivity of agglomeration level and agglomeration structure interacts. When considering the effect of agglomeration on economic performances, we should take both into consideration. In all, we can conclude that a polycentric structure brings more efficiency for economic development of metropolitan areas.