China's Regional Development: Review and Prospect

Since the early 1990s, the New Economic Geography (NEG) has risen very fast in economics research, and this sheds light on the spatial distribution of economic activities. China is a large developing economy and it has been deeply involved in globalization since its economic reform and opening-up. Thereby, China has seen a significant change in the spatial distribution of economic resources, especially capital and labor. However, apart from the mainstream theory based on free mobility of resources, China also has institutional barriers, such as household registration system, land system, and strong government intervention, which hinder interregional reallocation of production factors. Therefore, an analytical framework of NEG plus political economy is needed to understand China's regional development issues. This book provides a handbook-like reference offering researchers, policymakers and students a review of the stylized facts, literatures and history of China's regional development. The book also covers policy discussions concerning modern China's regional and urban development.