经济增长目标与激进城镇化--来自夜间灯光数据的证据

Economic Growth Target and Radical Urbanisation:Evidence from Satellite Night-Light Data

在中国快速的城镇化进程中,出现了建成区面积扩大速度快于城镇人口增长速度的激进现象。本文利用夜间灯光数据测算了城市层面的激进城镇化程度,系统地呈现了中国各区域的激进城镇化变动趋势,并融合政治经济学和城市经济学文献,基于中国政府的经济增长目标管理实践,提出政治晋升激励之下的地方政府制定的高经济增长目标导致激进城镇化的理论假说。经验分析结果与理论假说高度吻合,其机制是高经济增长目标导致地方政府更大力度出让土地,但未能推动城镇人口同步增加。本文为从地理空间角度改善中国资源配置效率和提升经济发展质量提供理论启示。

In China’s rapid urbanisation process, there has been a radical phenomenon that built areas have been expanding faster than the urban population. This paper exploits night-light data to measure the degree of radical urbanisation at the city level, and presents the trend of radical urbanisation in China. By integrating literature on political and urban economy, and based on the Chinese government’s economic growth target management practices, the paper proposes a theoretical hypothesis in which increasing the economic growth targets set by local governments under the incentive of political promotion lead to radical urbanisation. Empirical results of city panel data confirm the theoretical hypothesis. The economic growth target leads to greater enthusiasm to transfer land by local governments, but it fails to promote the simultaneous urban population expanding. This paper provides a geospatial perspective theoretical inspiration for improving resource allocation efficiency and the quality of economic development in China.