 Can China railway express enhance the economic-trade vitality of cities? A spatial empirical evidence from ChinaJiaguo Liu and Hui Meng Transport Policy, 2024, vol. 150, issue C, 121-138 Abstract: The process of globalization has encountered obstacles, with increasing regional conflicts and unforeseen events, posing greater challenges to global cooperation. Particularly, transportation bottlenecks are hindering international economic and trade activities and exerting significant pressure on economic recovery. In response to the principles of economic development, China introduced the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that targets to enhance economic and trade activities in the regions along the route. China Railway Express (CR Express) is an essential vehicle for the BRI, characterized by advantages such as convenience, safety, stability, and promotion of green economy. It serves as a necessary means for China to enhance economic and trade influence. This study conducts quantitative research utilizing a dataset from 287 prefecture-level Chinese cities, with a primary focus on examining the operational effects of the CR Express and deriving the following conclusions. Firstly, combining theoretical insights with practical experience, a comprehensive analytical framework was established, and an economic and trade vitality (ETV) index was constructed. The results showed that the ETV increased in over 43.9% of cities. Secondly, using a multi-temporal asymptotic spatial different-in-differences (SDID) model, we obtained that CR Express exhibited significant spatial spillover effects, making a substantial contribution to urban ETV. Thirdly, spatial heterogeneity detected that the intensity of CR Express policy effects varied across city types due to diverse patterns of economic development and consumption structures. Ultimately, mechanisms for the impact of CR Express on ETV was examined more precisely and an integrated five-sphere mechanism was proposed. The conclusions of this research enrich the vital connection between CR Express and urban ETV, providing managerial insights for both enterprises and governments seeking new development opportunities. Keywords: China railway express; Economic-trade vitality; Spatial econometrics; Integrated five-sphere mechanism (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:trapol:v:150:y:2024:i:c:p:121-138 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2024.03.010 Access Statistics for this article Transport Policy is currently edited by Y. Hayashi More articles in Transport Policy from Elsevier |
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