Acta Geographica Sinica ›› 2023, Vol. 78 ›› Issue (4): 824-839.doi: 10.11821/dlxb202304004

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Influence of industrial evolution path dependence and path creation on regional economic resilience: Taking the coastal areas of China as an example

LI Bo1,2(), QU Yi1,2   

  1. 1. Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry Education, Center for Studies of Marine Economy and Sustainable Development, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, Liaoning, China
    2. University Collaborative Innovation Center of Marine Economy High-Quality Development of Liaoning Province, Dalian 116029, Liaoning, China
  • Received:2021-11-24 Revised:2022-12-11 Online:2023-04-25 Published:2023-04-13
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(41976207);National Natural Science Foundation of China(42076222)

Abstract:

Regional industrial evolution path dependence and path creation are the key to investigate regional economic resilience from the perspective of evolutionary economic geography. Exploring the impact of industrial evolutionary path dependence and path creation on regional economic resilience based on regional new industries from an empirical perspective can improve the understanding of industrial evolutionary path and regional economic resilience. Taking the coastal areas of China as an example, we measure and analyze its spatio-temporal distribution characteristics based on a panel data from 2002 to 2017. This paper explores the main affecting factors of regional economic resilience in China's coastal areas by using one-step system GMM. Results show that: (1) The gaps in regional economic resilience in China's coastal areas has narrowed in the early financial crisis, but then presented obvious differentiation. Shanghai and Guangdong showed a U-shaped distribution; Fujian, Guangxi and Hainan continued to improve and maintain a high level; Jiangsu and Zhejiang saw two declines and then recovered quickly during the financial crisis and the early stage of the new normal; the Bohai Rim is mostly negative. (2) The path dependency in China's coastal areas is generally higher than path creativity. The overall industrial evolution path dependency and path creativity showed a fluctuating trend of decline and rise respectively, and path creation gradually became the main direction of industrial evolution. (3) The number of new industries in each region decreased significantly under the impact of the financial crisis. The advantages of new industries in steel and its products declined rapidly, and then concentrated in chemical industry, machinery manufacturing and other industries. (4) Dialectically looking at different evolutionary paths is of great significance to regional resilience. Both path dependence and path creation of industrial evolution have a positive influence on regional economic resilience, and the influence of path creation is more prominent. In addition, economic development level, per fixed assets investment and ratio of fixed asset investment to GDP affect economic resilience at the same time.

Key words: industrial evolution, path dependence, path creation, regional economic resilience, coastal areas of China