Analyzing Express Revenue Spatial Association Network’s Characteristics and Effects: A Case Study of 31 Provinces in China

In recent years, China’s express delivery industry has experienced significant regional differences in income, which may endanger the sustainable development of the economy and affect the sustainable development of society. To study the development setup and influencing factors of the express delivery industry in various regions of China, based on the income data of provincial express delivery, we constructed a spatial correlation network of provincial express revenue in China using the social network analysis method and analyzed its network characteristics and evolution rules. Additionally, the relationship between network structure parameters and express revenue was tested using the spatial Durbin model. The results reveal that the spatial correlation network of China’s provincial express revenue changes from decentralization to agglomeration, and the connection between the express industry in each province is constantly strengthened. The provinces in the eastern coastal areas exhibit a higher degree of centrality and effective scale in the network, and the limit system is smaller, which indicates that these provinces have higher importance and control ability in the network. Simultaneously, a moderating effect exists between network structure parameters and express income, indicating that network structure parameters affect express income through human capital input. This study provides theoretical research and empirical support to promote the coordinated and sustainable development of the express delivery industry.