Spatial Spillover Effect and Influencing Factors of Information Flow in Urban Agglomerations—Case Study of China Based on Baidu Search Index

Chengzhuo Wu, Li Zhuo, Zhuo Chen and Haiyan Tao
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Chengzhuo Wu: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geo-Simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Li Zhuo: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geo-Simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Zhuo Chen: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geo-Simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
Haiyan Tao: Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geo-Simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 14, 1-17

Abstract: Cities in an urban agglomeration closely interact with each other through various flows. Information flow, as one of the important forms of urban interactions, is now increasingly indispensable with the fast development of informatics technology. Thanks to its timely, convenient, and spatially unconstrained transmission ability, information flow has obvious spillover effects, which may strengthen urban interaction and further promote urban coordinated development. Therefore, it is crucial to quantify the spatial spillover effect and influencing factors of information flows, especially at the urban agglomeration scale. However, the academic research on this topic is insufficient. We, therefore, developed a spatial interaction model of information flow (SIM-IF) based on the Baidu Search Index and used it to analyze the spillover effects and influencing factors of information flow in the three major urban agglomerations in China, namely Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in the period of 2014–2019. The results showed that the SIM-IF performed well in all three agglomerations. Quantitative analysis indicated that the BTH had the strongest spillover effect of information flow, followed by the YRD and the PRD. It was also found that the hierarchy of cities had the greatest impact on the spillover effects of information flow. This study may provide scientific basis for the information flow construction in urban agglomerations and benefit the coordinated development of cities.

Keywords: information flow; Baidu Index; spillover effect; China urban agglomerations; spatial econometric interaction model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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