Author(s)

Haiyun Sun ¹, Bing Xu ²

Affiliation(s)

¹ Department of Public Administration, Party School of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee, Jinan, China
² School of Economics and Management, Shandong Jiaotong University, Jinan, China

Corresponding Author

Bing Xu

ABSTRACT

Eliminating regional differences in economic development is the intrinsic value pursuit of modern governance. Based on the panel data of 285 cities at and above the prefecture level in China, this paper empirically tests the impact of high-speed rail on manufacturing upgrading by using the multi-stage difference-in-difference (DID) model. The result shows that the opening of high-speed railway (referred to as HSR) significantly promotes manufacturing upgrading and regional innovation; the driving effect on manufacturing upgrading in eastern and western cities and large and medium-sized cities is more obvious. The industrial manufacturing chain should be built along with the HSR network, and technological innovation moderates the proposed network. This paper expands the research on the economic effects of HSR opening and provides some guidance for the follow-up construction.

KEYWORDS

High-speed Rail (HSR), DID model, Regional innovation, Manufacturing upgrading

CITE THIS PAPER

Haiyun Sun, Bing Xu, High-speed Rail, Regional Innovation, and Manufacturing Upgrading: Empirical Evidence Based on Prefecture-level Cities in China Title. Information Systems and Economics (2023) Vol. 4: 64-76. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/infse.2023.040510.

REFERENCES

[1] Myrdal G. (1957). Economic Theory and Underdeveloped Regions. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 23-28.
[2] Sheng Laiyun, Zheng Xin, et al. (2018). Analysis of the reason why the gap between North and South of China’s economic development expands. Journal of Management World, 09, 16-24.
[3] Fritsch M, Slavtchev V. (2011). Determinants of the efficiency of regional innovation systems. Regional Studies, 45 (7), 905-918.
[4] Aschauer D A. (1989). Is Public Expenditure Productive? Journal of Monetary Economics, 23 (2), 177-200.
[5] Dante Di Matteo, Ilaria Mariotti, Federica Rossi, (2022). Transport infrastructure and economic performance: An evaluation of the Milan-Bologna high-speed rail corridor. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 3, 1-19.
[6] Tonći Svilokos, Perica Vojini, et al. (2019). The role of the financial sector in the process of industrialisation in Central and Eastern European countries. Economic research-Ekonomska istraživanja, 32, 384-402.
[7] Saransh Sahu, Ashish Verma, (2022). Quantifying wider economic impacts of high-speed connectivity and accessibility: The case of the Karnataka high-speed rail. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 4, Volume 158, 141-155.
[8] Demurger S. (2001). Infrastructure Development and Economic Growth: An Explanation for Regional Disparities in China? Journal of Comparative Economics, 29 (1), 95-117.
[9] Chen Mingsheng, Zheng Yulu, Yao Di. (2022). Infrastructure Upgrading, Labor Mobility, and Regional Economic Gap: Evidence from High-speed Railway and Smart City Construction. Inquiry into Economic Issues, 5, 109-122.
[10] Chen Z, Xue J, Rose A Z, et al. (2016). The Impact of High-Speed Rail Investment on Economic and Environmental Change in China: A Dynamic CGE Analysis. Transportation Research Part A Policy & Practice, 92, 232-245.
[11] Wang Qy, Lu FZH. (2021). Economic Effects of High-speed Railway: "Emission Reduction" and "Efficiency Improvement". Statistical Research, 2, 29-44.
[12] Ortega E, Lopez E, Monzon A. (2012). Territorial Cohesion Impacts of High-Speed Rail at Different Planning Levels. Journal of Transport Geography, 24 (4), 130-141.
[13] Bougheas S, Demetriades P O, Mamuneas T P. (2000). Infrastructure, Spectialization and Economic Growth. The Canadian Journal of Economics, 33 (2), 506-522.
[14] Cao Yuequn, Guo Pengfei, Luo Yueqi. (2019). The Multidimensional Impact of Infrastructure Investment on Regional Economic Growth. The Journal of Quantitative & Technical Economics, 11, 140-159.
[15] Zhang Kezhong, Tao Dongjie. (2016). The economic distribution efficiency of the transportation infrastructure: based on the evidence of the opening of high-speed rail. Economic Perspectives. 6, 62-73.
[16] Fritsch M, Slavtchev V. (2011). Determinants of the efficiency of regional innovation systems. Regional Studies. 45 (7), 905-918.
[17] D. Donaldson, and R. Hornbeck. (2016). Railroads and American Economic Growth: A 'Market Access' Approach. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 131 (2), 799-858.
[18] V. Bosetti, C. Cattaneo, and E. Verdolini. (2015). Migration of Skilled Workers and Innovation: A European Perspective. Journal of International Economics, 96 (2), 311-322.
[19] C. Fassio, F. Montobbio and A. Venturini. (2019). Skilled Migration and Innovation in European Industries. Research Policy, 48 (3), 706-718.
[20] Bian YCH, Wu LH, Bai JH. (2019). Does High-speed Rail Improve Regional Innovation in China? Journal of Financial Research, 6, 132-149.
[21] Li Shaokai, Zhu Weiping, Liu Dong. (2020). Can High-speed Railway Promote Industrial Structure Upgrading: Based on Resource Reconfiguration Perspective. South China Journal of Economics. 2, 56-72.
[22] Lei Shuzhen, Wang Yan, Gao Yu. (2021). Does the construction of transportation infrastructure affects regional innovation? Science & Technology Progress and Policy, 21, 24-33.
[23] Almeida P, Kogut B, (1999). Localization of Knowledge and the mobility of engineers in regional networks. Management Science, 45 (7), 905-917.
[24] Hopenhayn H A, (2014). Firms, misallocation, and aggregate productivity: a review. Social science electronic publishing, 6 (1), 735-770.
[25] Tao Changqi, Peng Yongzhang. (2017). Spatial Effects of Technological Innovation Intensity on the Upgrading of Industrial Structure under Economic Agglomeration. Industrial Economics Research, (3), 91-103.
[26] Huang Guobin, Zhang Jie, Yu Jian, et al. (2020). Impact of transportation infrastructure on Industrial Pollution om Chinese cities: A Spatial Econometric analysis. Energy Economics, 92.
[27] Song M, Zhang G, Zeng W, et al. (2016). Railway Transportation and Environmental Efficiency in China. Transportation Research Part D-Transport and Environment, 48, 488-498.
[28] Chang Y, Lei S, Teng J, et al. (2019). The Energy Use and Environmental Emissions of High-Speed Rail Transportation in China: A Bottom-up Modeling. Energy, 182, 1193-1201.
[29] Li Kai, Chen Ke. (2022). Opening of High-speed Railway, Emission Reduction Effect and Urban Economic Development. Statistics & Decision, 6, 124-128.
[30] Strauss J, Li H C, Cui J L. (2021). High‑speed Rail's Impact on Airline Demand and Air Carbon Emissions in China. Transport Policy, 109 (1), 85‑97.
[31] Chen J. (2021). High‑speed Rail and Energy Consumption in China: The Intermediary Roles of Industry and Technology. Energy, 230 (9), 120816.
[32] Acemoglu D, Moscona J, Robinson J A. (2016). State Capacity and American Technology: Evidence from the Nineteenth Century. American Economic Review, 106 (5), 61-67.

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Accounting, Auditing and Finance
  
  
• Industrial Engineering and Innovation Management
  
  
• Tourism Management and Technology Economy
  
  
• Journal of Computational and Financial Econometrics
  
  
• Financial Engineering and Risk Management
  
  
• Accounting and Corporate Management
  
  
• Social Security and Administration Management
  
  
• Population, Resources & Environmental Economics
  
  
• Statistics & Quantitative Economics
  
  
• Agricultural & Forestry Economics and Management
  
  
• Social Medicine and Health Management
  
  
• Land Resource Management
  
  
• Information, Library and Archival Science
  
  
• Journal of Human Resource Development
  
  
• Manufacturing and Service Operations Management
  
  
• Operational Research and Cybernetics