IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v11y2022i10p1846-d947629.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

High-Speed Railway Network Development, Inter-County Accessibility Improvements, and Regional Poverty Alleviation: Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Jing Fan

    (The Key Laboratory of Road and Traffic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Tongji University, 4800 Cao’an Road, Shanghai 201804, China
    China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co., Ltd., 2 Xiying Road, Xi’an 710043, China)

  • Hironori Kato

    (Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan)

  • Xinghua Liu

    (The Key Laboratory of Road and Traffic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Tongji University, 4800 Cao’an Road, Shanghai 201804, China)

  • Ye Li

    (The Key Laboratory of Road and Traffic Engineering, Ministry of Education, Tongji University, 4800 Cao’an Road, Shanghai 201804, China)

  • Changxi Ma

    (School of Traffic and Transportation, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • Liang Zhou

    (Faculty of Geomatics, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, China
    National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Technologies and Applications for National Geographic State Monitoring, Lanzhou 730070, China)

  • Mingzhang Liang

    (Transport Planning and Research Institute, Ministry of Transport, Beijing 100028, China)

Abstract

The rapid expansion of the high-speed railway (HSR) network in China has significantly shortened the space–time distance between cities. China is striving to enter an anti-poverty era, which is increasing the importance of research on the poverty reduction effect created by upgrading transportation infrastructure, in particular, HSR development. Describing the characteristics of accessibility and the mechanisms by which that accessibility reduces poverty could provide the insights needed for determining suitable anti-poverty paths. By using data for 2341 counties and equivalents in China during 2007–2018, this study analyses the railway accessibility improvements and the poverty reduction effect created by HSR development. On average, HSR in China contributed to a significant increase in potential economic accessibility (317.8%) and a decrease in weighted average travel time (39.9%) for counties. Based on accessibility calculations, the Theil index was used to measure the disparity level of regional accessibility and regional poverty measured based on the income of rural residents. The results indicate that HSR leads to an increase in inequality in terms of travel time and potential economic accessibility at a national level. Pearson coefficients reveal a strong correlation between disparities in accessibility and in rural income among provinces. Furthermore, using the full sample, and sub-samples of poor and non-poor counties in China, the association between regional accessibility and poverty was examined by using two-way fixed effect models and spatial econometric models. The estimated results show that a 1% improvement in potential economic accessibility leads to an aggregate rural income improvement of 0.03–0.17%; the ratio of rural income to urban income increases by 0.04–0.12% and a larger effect is observed in poor counties. The weighted average travel time reduction also leads to improvement in rural income and reduction in the urban–rural income gap. The empirical results obtained by different robust test methods, including different sample groups, different estimated methods and accessibility indicators, are shown to be robust. These findings can help transportation departments formulate poverty-alleviation-oriented transportation planning and investment policies and inform future policies for countries planning to construct HSRs.

Suggested Citation

  • Jing Fan & Hironori Kato & Xinghua Liu & Ye Li & Changxi Ma & Liang Zhou & Mingzhang Liang, 2022. "High-Speed Railway Network Development, Inter-County Accessibility Improvements, and Regional Poverty Alleviation: Evidence from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-22, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:10:p:1846-:d:947629
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/10/1846/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/10/1846/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhao, Pengjun & Yu, Zhao, 2021. "Rural poverty and mobility in China: A national-level survey," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    2. Jia, Shanming & Zhou, Chunyu & Qin, Chenglin, 2017. "No difference in effect of high-speed rail on regional economic growth based on match effect perspective?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 144-157.
    3. Shujing Liu & Christian Kesteloot, 2016. "High-Speed Rail and Rural Livelihood: The Wuhan-Guangzhou Line and Qiya Village," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 107(4), pages 468-483, September.
    4. Chen, Zhenhua & Haynes, Kingsley E., 2017. "Impact of high-speed rail on regional economic disparity in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 80-91.
    5. P. Njenga & A. Davis, 2003. "Drawing the road map to rural poverty reduction," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 217-241, January.
    6. Jin, Mengjie & Lin, Kun-Chin & Shi, Wenming & Lee, Paul T.W. & Li, Kevin X., 2020. "Impacts of high-speed railways on economic growth and disparity in China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 158-171.
    7. Luo, Huanhuan & Zhao, Shengchuan, 2021. "Impacts of high-speed rail on the inequality of intercity accessibility: A case study of Liaoning Province, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    8. Pagliara, Francesca & Mauriello, Filomena, 2020. "Modelling the impact of High Speed Rail on tourists with Geographically Weighted Poisson Regression," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 780-790.
    9. Long, Fenjie & Zheng, Longfei & Song, Zhida, 2018. "High-speed rail and urban expansion: An empirical study using a time series of nighttime light satellite data in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 106-118.
    10. Benevenuto, Rodolfo & Caulfield, Brian, 2019. "Poverty and transport in the global south: An overview," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 115-124.
    11. Cascetta, Ennio & Cartenì, Armando & Henke, Ilaria & Pagliara, Francesca, 2020. "Economic growth, transport accessibility and regional equity impacts of high-speed railways in Italy: ten years ex post evaluation and future perspectives," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 412-428.
    12. Andres Monzon & Elena Lopez & Emilio Ortega, 2019. "Has HSR improved territorial cohesion in Spain? An accessibility analysis of the first 25 years: 1990–2015," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(3), pages 513-532, March.
    13. Wang, Lvhua & Liu, Yongxue & Sun, Chao & Liu, Yahui, 2016. "Accessibility impact of the present and future high-speed rail network: A case study of Jiangsu Province, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 161-172.
    14. Wei Zou & Fen Zhang & Ziyin Zhuang & Hairong Song, 2008. "Transport Infrastructure, Growth, and Poverty Alleviation: Empirical Analysis of China," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 9(2), pages 345-371, November.
    15. Fan, Shenggen & Chan-Kang, Connie, 2004. "Road development, economic growth, and poverty reduction in China," DSGD discussion papers 12, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    16. Park, Albert & Wang, Sangui & Wu, Guobao, 2002. "Regional poverty targeting in China," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(1), pages 123-153, October.
    17. Dazhi Yang & Wei Song, 2022. "Does the Accessibility of Regional Internal and External Traffic Play the Same Role in Achieving Anti-Poverty Goals?," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-25, January.
    18. Shao, Shuai & Tian, Zhihua & Yang, Lili, 2017. "High speed rail and urban service industry agglomeration: Evidence from China's Yangtze River Delta region," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 174-183.
    19. Jing Fan & Ye Li & Yu Zhang & Xiao Luo & Changxi Ma, 2019. "Connectivity and Accessibility of the Railway Network in China: Guidance for Spatial Balanced Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-18, December.
    20. Campa, Juan Luis & López-Lambas, María Eugenia & Guirao, Begoña, 2016. "High speed rail effects on tourism: Spanish empirical evidence derived from China's modelling experience," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 44-54.
    21. Idei, Rika & Kato, Hironori & Morikawa, So, 2020. "Contribution of rural roads improvement on children’s school attendance: Evidence in Cambodia," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    22. Shin Takada & So Morikawa & Rika Idei & Hironori Kato, 2021. "Impacts of improvements in rural roads on household income through the enhancement of market accessibility in rural areas of Cambodia," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 2857-2881, October.
    23. Moshe Givoni, 2006. "Development and Impact of the Modern High‐speed Train: A Review," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(5), pages 593-611, January.
    24. Domma, Filippo & Condino, Francesca & Giordano, Sabrina, 2018. "A new formulation of the Dagum distribution in terms of income inequality and poverty measures," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 511(C), pages 104-126.
    25. Cartenì, Armando & Pariota, Luigi & Henke, Ilaria, 2017. "Hedonic value of high-speed rail services: Quantitative analysis of the students’ domestic tourist attractiveness of the main Italian cities," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 348-365.
    26. Ren, Xiaohong & Chen, Zhenhua & Wang, Fang & Dan, Ting & Wang, Wei & Guo, Xiaotong & Liu, Chunhua, 2020. "Impact of high-speed rail on social equity in China: Evidence from a mode choice survey," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 422-441.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Li, Xiaolong & Wu, Zongfa & Zhao, Xingchen, 2020. "Economic effect and its disparity of high speed rail in China: A study of mechanism based on synthesis control method," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 262-274.
    2. Huang, Yan & Zong, Huiming, 2020. "The spatial distribution and determinants of China’s high-speed train services," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 56-70.
    3. Yu, Danlin & Murakami, Daisuke & Zhang, Yaojun & Wu, Xiwei & Li, Ding & Wang, Xiaoxi & Li, Guangdong, 2020. "Investigating high-speed rail construction's support to county level regional development in China: An eigenvector based spatial filtering panel data analysis," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 21-37.
    4. Di Matteo, Dante & Mariotti, Ilaria & Rossi, Federica, 2023. "Transport infrastructure and economic performance: An evaluation of the Milan-Bologna high-speed rail corridor," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    5. Jin, Mengjie & Shi, Wenming & Liu, Yu & Xu, Xiaoling & Li, Kevin X., 2022. "Heterogeneous impact of high speed railway on income distribution: A case study in China," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    6. Guojie Ma & Jinxing Hu & Riquan Zhang, 2023. "Spatial-Temporal Distribution and Coupling Relationship of High-Speed Railway and Economic Networks in Metropolitan Areas of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-23, June.
    7. Yang Zhou & Chunyang Tong & Yongsheng Wang, 2022. "Road construction, economic growth, and poverty alleviation in China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 1306-1332, September.
    8. Jinxing Hu & Guojie Ma & Chaohai Shen & Xiaolan Zhou, 2022. "Impact of Urbanization through High-Speed Rail on Regional Development with the Interaction of Socioeconomic Factors: A View of Regional Industrial Structure," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-21, October.
    9. Fan, Xiaomin & Xu, Yingzhi, 2023. "Does high-speed railway promote urban innovation? Evidence from China," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    10. Lu, Haiyan & Zhao, Pengjun & Hu, Haoyu & Zeng, Liangen & Wu, Kai Sheng & Lv, Di, 2022. "Transport infrastructure and urban-rural income disparity: A municipal-level analysis in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    11. Ziyang Chen & Xiao Feng & Ziwen He, 2022. "A Key to Stimulate Green Technology Innovation in China: The Expansion of High-Speed Railways," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-21, December.
    12. Chen, Fanglin & Chen, Zhongfei, 2023. "High-speed rail and happiness," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    13. Zheng, Longfei & Long, Fenjie & Chang, Zheng & Ye, Jingsong, 2019. "Ghost town or city of hope? The spatial spillover effects of high-speed railway stations in China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 230-241.
    14. Xu, Wangtu (Ato) & Zhou, Jiangping & Qiu, Guo, 2018. "China's high-speed rail network construction and planning over time: a network analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 40-54.
    15. Cascetta, Ennio & Cartenì, Armando & Henke, Ilaria & Pagliara, Francesca, 2020. "Economic growth, transport accessibility and regional equity impacts of high-speed railways in Italy: ten years ex post evaluation and future perspectives," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 412-428.
    16. Mohsen Momenitabar & Zhila Dehdari Ebrahimi & Mohammad Arani, 2020. "A Systematic and Analytical Review of the Socioeconomic and Environmental Impact of the Deployed High-Speed Rail (HSR) Systems on the World," Papers 2003.04452, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2020.
    17. Huang, Ying & Xu, Wangtu (Ato), 2021. "Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the impact of high-speed railway on urban economy: Empirical study of Chinese cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    18. Yanan Jin & Guoli Ou, 2023. "The Impacts of High-Speed Rail on Producer Service Industry Agglomeration: Evidence from China’s Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-16, February.
    19. Tian, Meng & Wang, Yiwei & Wang, Yiran, 2023. "High-speed rail network and urban agglomeration economies: Research from the perspective of urban network externalities," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    20. Meng Tian & Tongping Li & Shuwang Yang & Yiwei Wang & Shuke Fu, 2019. "The Impact of High-Speed Rail on the Service-Sector Agglomeration in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-19, April.

    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:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:10:p:1846-:d:947629. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.