Spatio-Temporal Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Basic Public Service Levels in the Yangtze River Delta Region, China

Abstract

Basic public services are essential to ensure regional social equity and promote regional integrated development. As the Yangtze River Delta region (YRDR) is an example of integrated regional development in China, the integration of basic public services plays a crucial role in promoting regions’ integrated development. However, little studies provide evidence of the characteristics and influencing factors of basic public services in the YRDR. Taking the YRDR as the study area, this paper constructed a comprehensive evaluation index system for the basic public services level (BPSL) in the YRDR from 2010 to 2020. Then, it measured and analyzed its spatio-temporal dynamic evolution characteristics using entropy-weighted TOPSIS and exploratory spatial data analysis methods, as well as analyzed the spatio-temporal heterogeneity of its influencing factors using a geographically and temporally weighted regression model. The results show that: (1) The BPSL in the YRDR generally improved during the study period. There was a huge variation within and between provinces in the BPSL. Over time, the BPSL gradually transitions from unipolar polarization to multipolar differentiation and a flattening trend. (2) Spatial differentiation of the BPSL was evident, with a decreasing gradient from east to west with an inverted U-shape distribution in the north–south direction. The overall spatial circle structure was characterized as being high in the east and low in the west, high in the center, and low in the north and south, forming a spatial distribution pattern of high-level and higher-level grades mainly in Shanghai, southern Jiangsu, and northern Zhejiang. The global spatial correlation characteristics became increasingly significant with time, while the local spatial correlation showed the trend of “spatial club convergence”. (3) Various factors influenced the spatial and temporal evolution of the BPSL, including the urbanization level, the economic development level, the industrial structure level, the degree of external openness, the government action capacity, and the regional population size, each of which had evident spatial and temporal heterogeneity.

Impact of Intergovernmental Science and Technology Policy Synergy on Inter-city Patent Cooperation in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region Based on QAP Analysis

“…At present, researches on inter-city patent cooperation are mostly focused on the Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. For example, Curley [21] found that the number of inter-city cooperative patents in the Yangtze River Delta region is related to time, cultural proximity between cities, geographical proximity between cities, and proximity of urban innovation capacity. Patent cooperation tends to concentrate on the regions with large patent output; Zhang Ruofan [22] found that the inter-city cooperation network of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area presented a significant marginal core structure.…”

Is the happiness of Chinese truly the highest in the world? The impact of basic public services on happiness

“…Presently, urban areas enjoy ample and at times excessive access to these services, while impoverished regions, especially in public healthcare and social security, still require substantial improvements. Moreover, economic development plays a crucial role in shaping the supply pattern of basic public services, creating a distinct east-to-west ladder-shaped distribution with significant regional variations ( 23 ). The economically advanced eastern region benefits from substantial public finance investment and a robust financial system, resulting in a more robust provision of basic public services compared to less developed areas.…”

“…Nonetheless, some researchers have pointed out a decline in the equalization of basic public services in China, with transfer payments proving insufficient in promoting equalization ( 22 ). Assessing the performance of basic public services, scholars have observed regional disparities in efficiency across 30 Chinese provinces from 2006 to 2019, showing a pattern of “high in the east and low in the west” ( 23 ). Contrasting this, in Germany, property rights and organizational structures significantly impact public service provision, with public ownership proving more efficient than mixed or private ownership ( 24 ).…”

Temporal-Spatial Evolution and Driving Factors of Global Carbon Emission Efficiency

“…From 2012 to 2015 (fluctuation decline stage), on the one hand, some countries were in a period of rapid economic development [ 50 , 51 ], and the total energy consumption and carbon emissions increased sharply [ 52 ]. During the study period, the energy consumption of fossil fuels accounted for more than 95% of the total energy consumption in Algeria, Oman, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and other countries; on the other hand, some countries have relatively more fossil fuels such as coal resources, petroleum resources, and natural resources [ 53 , 54 ]. With the large-scale use of fossil energy, the energy structure is unreasonable [ 55 ].…”