The Economic Recovery from Traffic Restriction Policies during the COVID-19 through the Perspective of Regional Differences and Sustainable Development: Based on Human Mobility Data in China

Abstract

In the post-epidemic era, balancing epidemic prevention and control with sustainable economic development has become a serious challenge for all countries around the world. In China, a range of interventions include detection policies, clinical treatment policies, and most notably, traffic policies have been carried out for epidemic prevention and control. It has been widely confirmed that massive traffic restriction policies effectively brought the spread of the pandemic under control. However, restrictions on the use of transportation infrastructure undermine the smooth functioning of the economy. Particularly, China has a vast territory, with provinces differing in economic development, leading industries and transportation infrastructure; economic shock varies from region to region. In this case, targeted policies are the key to sustainable development. This paper sets forth advice for the Chinese government on its measures to boost the economy by analyzing regional differences in the impact of massive traffic restriction policies, based on large-scale human mobility data. After applying the Data Envelopment Analysis model, we classify Chinese provinces into different regions from the perspective of economic gradient, degree of internationalization and level of traffic convenience, respectively. Classification results are matched with the indicators of New Venues Created and the weekly Volumes of Visits to Venues from Baidu Maps. We find that the regional differences in the recovery of investment and consumption levels are striking. Based on the findings, we suggest that the government should adjust the intensity of traffic restrictions and economic stimulus policies dynamically according to regional differences to achieve sustainable economic development.

Spatial Heterogeneity of the Recovery of Road Traffic Volume from the Impact of COVID-19: Evidence from China

“…Many studies point to the lockdown measures [11] and changes in tourist psychology [38] as the main reasons for the negative impact of the pandemic on traffic volume. Specifically, due to the concern of potential travelers about the infection, road traffic volume tended to decrease with the increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases [19]. Several studies have confirmed the existence of this adverse effect in regions such as China [8], the United States [39], and Korea [40].…”

“…Because of the strong relationship between traffic volume and economic development [18], the recovery of traffic volume from the impact of COVID-19 has an essential role in promoting economic recovery [19]. Therefore, a feasible way to recover traffic volume has been the focus of recent academic discussions.…”

A new approach to COVID-19 data mining: A deep spatial–temporal prediction model based on tree structure for traffic revitalization index

“…The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) [8] is the market value of the production results of all economic activities in a region over a certain period of time. The GDP is an important indicator to measure urban development, and its development can reflect the effectiveness of the implementation of urban economic policies in improving urban economic development [9] . Fig.…”

Analysis of economic forecasting in the post-epidemic era: evidence from China

“…Li 22 concludes that the Chinese government successfully assessed public risk and launched a clear and timely vaccination policy. Yawen 23 explores how to strike a balance between epidemic prevention and control and sustainable economic development, and proposes that China dynamically adjusts the intensity of transportation restrictions and economic stimulus policies according to regional differences.…”