方言多样性、要素集聚与城市规模——基于卫星灯光数据的实证检验

Dialect Diversity,Factor Aggregation and City Size:An Empirical Test Based on Satellite Nighttime Light Data

改革开放以来,中国的城市化得到了快速发展。在迅速城市化的背后,是城市发展的不平衡与非充分。本文从社会文化多样性的视角出发,探究方言种类的多样性对城市规模的影响。方言多样性带来信任分割,阻碍了要素跨地区流动,影响要素的集聚效应,进而影响城市规模的扩张。利用地区方言种类的多样性指标和2016年NPP-VIIRS城市夜间灯光指数,本文实证研究了方言多样性对城市规模的影响。计量结果显示:方言多样性对城市规模有显著的负向影响。平均而言,方言小类增加一种,将导致以夜间灯光指数测算的城市规模下降4.55%。一系列稳健性检验和因果识别显示本文估计结果是稳健性的因果关系。进一步的实证研究表明方言多样性主要是通过阻碍劳动力、资本和技术要素的流动和集聚影响城市规模的扩张。本文研究启示:建设多元、包容性的现代化城市,需要权衡文化多样性与统一性的成本与收益,打破文化隔阂,消除文化偏见,提高社会信任水平,进而充分发挥多元文化带来的互补效应。

Since the start of reform and opening up,China's urbanization has developed rapidly.Behind the rapid urbanization is the imbalance and insufficiency of urban development.From the perspective of culture diversity,this paper explores the influence of dialect diversity on urban scale.Dialect diversity brings about trust segmentation,which hinders the cross-regional flow of elements and affects the agglomeration effect of elements,and as a result,the development of urban scale will be adversely affected.Using the diversity indicators of regional dialects and the NPP-VIIRS city night light index,the paper empirically studies the influence of dialect diversity on city size.The results show that the diversity of dialects has a significant negative impact on the city scale.On average a one-dialect increase will lead to a decrease of 4.55%in the city scale measured by nighttime light index.A series of robustness tests and causal identification show that the estimated results are robust causal relationships.Further empirical research shows that dialect diversity mainly affects the expansion of urban scale by hindering the flow and agglomeration of labor,capital and technological elements.This study reveals that building a diversified and inclusive modern city requires balancing the costs and benefits of cultural diversity and unity,breaking cultural barriers,eliminating cultural prejudices,and improving social trust level,so as to give full play to the complementary effects of multiculturalism.