عنوان

A Study on Urban Competitiveness of Major Chinese Cities 1995--2008

Number

T602

.Language of Text, Soundtrack etc

انگلیسی

Title Proper

A Study on Urban Competitiveness of Major Chinese Cities 1995--2008

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

Subsequent Statement of Responsibility

;supervisor: Shen, Jianfa

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong: Hong Kong

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

: 2012

Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item

261 Pages

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Ph.D.

Text of Note

Under the deepening influence of globalization and advancement in science and technology, the issue of competitiveness, from national to local levels, has won considerable attention from researchers as well as policy makers. For more than two decades, the contention on its definition has been persisting, leading to inconsistent measurement methods. Some studies of competitiveness at the municipal level in China have also been done. This study conducts an empirical study on urban competitiveness of 24 major Chinese cities at prefecture-level or above in a period from 1995 to 2008. Based on intensive previous research on this issue, urban competitiveness is interpreted from a comprehensive perspective integrating economic, social, environmental and external connection competitiveness components. Based on this comprehensive understanding of urban competitiveness, a composite indicator system has been constructed including four competitiveness components, fifteen subgroups and fifty-nine indicators. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) weighting method is used in order to reflect the opinions of experts on the importance of various components as precisely as possible. Based on empirical analysis, this research has revealed the strengths and weaknesses of the major cities, the dynamic changes of urban competitiveness and the policy implications of urban competitiveness results. All these contribute to the study of urban competitiveness conceptually, methodologically and empirically. The empirical research in 2008 revealed that each city does not have same performance in their economic, social, environmental and external connection competitiveness. Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou are the most competitive cities which take the top three positions in the ranking list, but they all show disappointing performance in environmental competitiveness. Chongqing, Wenzhou and Harbin are ranked at the bottom in terms of composite indicator. In other words, each city has its special complex of strengths and weaknesses. This thesis makes the first attempt to reveal the changes in urban competitiveness over a period of time using the same indicator system. The changes of urban competitiveness scores and ranks during the period from 1995 to 2008 indicate long-term competitiveness patterns. In general, all cities obtained improvement in urban competitiveness scores during this period, but cities with higher competitiveness scores in the early years tended to obtain less significant improvement. Zhuhai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Shanghai obtained a relatively higher competitiveness scores in 1995 but had the smallest growth rate from 1995 to 2008. The high correlation coefficient of competitiveness ranks between two sub-periods indicates that most major cities tend to remain in their relative position. However, there is also a catching up effect among the major Chinese cities revealed by the decreased disparities. The policy implications of this empirical study are significant. By tracing the performances of Beijing's competitiveness in the four components, it is concluded that both the central government and the local government played an important role in enhancing local competitiveness. Economic competitiveness has been overemphasized, but environmental problems have become severe, which restricts Beijing's development. With the above findings, this research concludes that a comprehensive understanding and measurement of urban competitiveness is necessary, especially in the context of China. Although economic competitiveness is still the key issue, the other three components are also of importance in affecting the success of cities.

Economics

Geography

Economic theory

Subject Term

Social sciences

Subject Term

China

Subject Term

Competitiveness

Subject Term

Beijing

Subject Term

Urban areas

Subject Term

Competitive advantage

Yang, Xiaolan

Shen, Jianfa, supervisor

Date and Hour of Consultation and Access

TL602.pdf

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