IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/chieco/v23y2012i3p593-612.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Patterns of China's industrialization: Concentration, specialization, and clustering

Author

Listed:
  • Long, Cheryl
  • Zhang, Xiaobo

Abstract

This paper presents a few stylized facts on the patterns of China's industrialization by computing a set of multi-dimensional measures on industrial concentration, regional specialization, and clustering based on census data at the firm level in 1995 and 2004. Our results show that China's rapid industrialization is characterized by the following patterns: industries have become more spatially concentrated; regions have become increasingly specialized; and firms have become more interconnected, both within industries and within regions. In addition, the number of firms is growing faster in clustered areas than non-clustered ones. Together these patterns suggest that China's industrialization process is largely cluster-based—a phenomenon in which a large number of highly interconnected firms are located within a well-defined geographic region.

Suggested Citation

  • Long, Cheryl & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2012. "Patterns of China's industrialization: Concentration, specialization, and clustering," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 593-612.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:23:y:2012:i:3:p:593-612
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2011.09.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043951X11000903
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.chieco.2011.09.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lu, Jiangyong & Tao, Zhigang, 2009. "Trends and determinants of China's industrial agglomeration," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 167-180, March.
    2. Tetsushi Sonobe & Keijiro Otsuka, 2006. "The Division of Labor and the Formation of Industrial Clusters in Taiwan," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(1), pages 71-86, February.
    3. Masaki Nakabayashi, 2006. "Flexibility and diversity: the putting-out system in the silk fablic industry of Kiryu, Japan," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 06-10, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.
    4. T. Sonobe & D. Hu & K. Otsuka, 2002. "Process of Cluster Formation in China: A Case Study of a Garment Town," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 118-139.
    5. Masahisa Fujita & Paul Krugman & Anthony J. Venables, 2001. "The Spatial Economy: Cities, Regions, and International Trade," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262561476, December.
    6. Ricardo Hausmann & Bailey Klinger, 2007. "The Structure of the Product Space and the Evolution of Comparative Advantage," CID Working Papers 146, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    7. Jikun Huang & Scott Rozelle & Min Chang, 2004. "Tracking Distortions in Agriculture: China and Its Accession to the World Trade Organization," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 18(1), pages 59-84.
    8. Long, Cheryl & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2011. "Cluster-based industrialization in China: Financing and performance," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(1), pages 112-123, May.
    9. Antonio Ciccone & Elias Papaioannou, 2009. "Human Capital, the Structure of Production, and Growth," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 91(1), pages 66-82, February.
    10. Sonobe, Tetsushi & Hu, Dinghuan & Otsuka, Keijiro, 2004. "From inferior to superior products: an inquiry into the Wenzhou model of industrial development in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 542-563, September.
    11. Jianqing Ruan & Xiaobo Zhang, 2009. "Finance and Cluster-Based Industrial Development in China," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 58(1), pages 143-164, October.
    12. Kong-Yam Tan, 2007. "Incremental Reform and Distortions in China's Product and Factor Markets," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 21(2), pages 279-299, March.
    13. Wen, Mei, 2004. "Relocation and agglomeration of Chinese industry," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 329-347, February.
    14. Huang, Zuhui & Zhang, Xiaobo & Zhu, Yunwei, 2008. "The role of clustering in rural industrialization: A case study of the footwear industry in Wenzhou," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 409-420, September.
    15. Bai, Chong-En & Du, Yingjuan & Tao, Zhigang & Tong, Sarah Y., 2004. "Local protectionism and regional specialization: evidence from China's industries," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 397-417, July.
    16. Fleisher, Belton & Hu, Dinghuan & McGuire, William & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2010. "The evolution of an industrial cluster in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 456-469, September.
    17. Michael E. Porter, 2000. "Location, Competition, and Economic Development: Local Clusters in a Global Economy," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 14(1), pages 15-34, February.
    18. Tetsushi Sonobe & Keijiro Otsuka, 2014. "Cluster-Based Industrial Development," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-38511-6, December.
    19. Ann Markusen, 1996. "Sticky Places in Slippery Space: A Typology of Industrial Districts," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(3), pages 293-313, July.
    20. Alwyn Young, 2000. "The Razor's Edge: Distortions and Incremental Reform in the People's Republic of China," NBER Working Papers 7828, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    21. Alwyn Young, 2000. "The Razor's Edge: Distortions and Incremental Reform in the People's Republic of China," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 115(4), pages 1091-1135.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhi Li & Chengri Ding & Yi Niu, 2019. "Industrial structure and urban agglomeration: evidence from Chinese cities," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 63(1), pages 191-218, August.
    2. Jiao, Yang & Shen, Leilei & Liu, Yuyun, 2023. "Melting pot or salad bowl: Cultural effects on industrial similarity during trade liberalization," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 235-258.
    3. Shuju Hu & Wei Song & Chenggu Li & Charlie H. Zhang, 2019. "The Evolution of Industrial Agglomerations and Specialization in the Yangtze River Delta from 1990–2018: An Analysis Based on Firm-Level Big Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-21, October.
    4. Xu, Cheng-Gang & Guo, Di & Jiang, Kun & Yang, Xiyi, 2017. "Clustering, Growth, and Inequality in China," CEPR Discussion Papers 12543, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Iris Claus & Les Oxley & Siqi Zheng & Cong Sun & Ye Qi & Matthew E. Kahn, 2014. "The Evolving Geography Of China'S Industrial Production: Implications For Pollution Dynamics And Urban Quality Of Life," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 709-724, September.
    6. Enrique Claver-Cortés & Bartolomé Marco-Lajara & Pedro Seva-Larrosa & Lorena Ruiz-Fernández & Eduardo Sánchez-García, 2020. "Explanatory Factors of Entrepreneurship in Food and Beverage Clusters in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-22, July.
    7. Jiawei Wu & Yehua Dennis Wei & Qizhai Li & Feng Yuan, 2018. "Economic Transition and Changing Location of Manufacturing Industry in China: A Study of the Yangtze River Delta," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-28, July.
    8. Masaki Nakabayashi, 2017. "Honesty, Diligence and Skill: Risk Sharing and Specialization in the Kiryu Silk Weaving Cluster, Japan," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(4), pages 1401-1424, November.
    9. Zhang, Xiaobo & Hu, Dinghuan, 2014. "Overcoming Successive Bottlenecks: The Evolution of a Potato Cluster in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 102-112.
    10. Hu, Chaoran & Zhang, Xiaobo & Reardon, Thomas & Hernandez, Ricardo, 2019. "Value-chain clusters and aquaculture innovation in Bangladesh," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 310-326.
    11. Dai, Xiaoyong & Sun, Zao & Liu, Hang, 2018. "Disentangling the effects of endogenous export and innovation on the performance of Chinese manufacturing firms," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 42-58.
    12. Wei Chen & Rui He & Qun Wu, 2017. "A Novel Efficiency Measure Model for Industrial Land Use Based on Subvector Data Envelope Analysis and Spatial Analysis Method," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2017, pages 1-11, December.
    13. Hu, Cui & Xu, Zhaoyuan & Yashiro, Naomitsu, 2015. "Agglomeration and productivity in China: Firm level evidence," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 50-66.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Long, Cheryl & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2011. "Cluster-based industrialization in China: Financing and performance," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(1), pages 112-123, May.
    2. Xu, Cheng-Gang & Guo, Di & Jiang, Kun & Yang, Xiyi, 2017. "Clustering, Growth, and Inequality in China," CEPR Discussion Papers 12543, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Ruan, Jianqing & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2014. "“Flying geese” in China: The textile and apparel industry's pattern of migration," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 79-91.
    4. Zhang, Xiaobo, 2016. "Building effective clusters and industrial parks," IFPRI discussion papers 1590, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    5. Ruan, Jianqing & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2015. "A proximity-based measure of industrial clustering:," IFPRI discussion papers 1468, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    6. Jianqing, Ruan & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2010. "Do geese migrate domestically?: Evidence from the Chinese textile and apparel industry," IFPRI discussion papers 1040, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    7. Merima Ali & Jack Peerlings & Xiaobo Zhang, 2014. "Clustering as an organizational response to capital market inefficiency: evidence from microenterprises in Ethiopia," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 43(3), pages 697-709, October.
    8. Tetsushi Sonobe & Yuki Higuchi & Keijiro Otsuka, 2012. "Productivity Growth and Job Creation in the Development Process of Industrial Clusters," GRIPS Discussion Papers 11-22, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.
    9. Fleisher, Belton & Hu, Dinghuan & McGuire, William & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2010. "The evolution of an industrial cluster in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 456-469, September.
    10. Bellandi, Marco & Lombardi, Silvia, 2012. "Specialized markets and Chinese industrial clusters: The experience of Zhejiang Province," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 626-638.
    11. Otsuka, Keijiro & Sonobe, Tetsushi, 2011. "A cluster-based industrial development policy for low-income countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5703, The World Bank.
    12. Hashino, Tomoko & Otsuka, Keijiro, 2013. "Cluster-based industrial development in contemporary developing countries and modern Japanese economic history," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 19-32.
    13. Ayele, Gezahegn & Moorman, Lisa & Wamisho, Kassu & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2010. "Infrastructure and cluster development," IFPRI discussion papers 980, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    14. Wu, Yiyun & Zhu, Xiwei, 2017. "Why Geographic Dispersion Before Its Time: Industrial Policy and Economic Geography in the People’s Republic of China," ADBI Working Papers 633, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    15. Tobechi F. Agbanike & Augustine C. Osigwe & Denis N. Yuni & Thank-God C. Onoja & Sunday A. Okwor, 2019. "Cluster Development in a Transforming Economy: The Case of Motorcycle Spare Parts Firms in Nnewi, Anambra State of Nigeria," Economy, Asian Online Journal Publishing Group, vol. 6(1), pages 13-24.
    16. Dan Zheng & Tatsuaki Kuroda, 2013. "The impact of economic policy on industrial specialization and regional concentration of China’s high-tech industries," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 50(3), pages 771-790, June.
    17. Li, Ben & Lu, Yi, 2009. "Geographic concentration and vertical disintegration: Evidence from China," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(3), pages 294-304, May.
    18. Herrmann-Pillath, Carsten & Libman, Alexander & Yu, Xiaofan, 2014. "Economic integration in China: Politics and culture," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 470-492.
    19. Dai, Ruochen & Mookherjee, Dilip & Quan, Yingyue & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2021. "Industrial clusters, networks and resilience to the Covid-19 shock in China," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 433-455.
    20. Ge, Ying, 2009. "Globalization and Industry Agglomeration in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 550-559, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Industrial clustering; Agglomeration; Geographic concentration; Regional specialization; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
    • R1 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:chieco:v:23:y:2012:i:3:p:593-612. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/chieco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.