Pilot reforms gradually implemented through key nodes have become an important pattern of regional development in China since the policy of reform and opening up was in- troduced in 1978. On the basis of an analysis o...Pilot reforms gradually implemented through key nodes have become an important pattern of regional development in China since the policy of reform and opening up was in- troduced in 1978. On the basis of an analysis of the evolution processes and characteristics of regional development policies in post-reform China, this paper develops the concept and analytical framework of national node strategies （NNS）, defined as regional development strategies centered on specific spatial nodes, by addressing their theoretical basis and re- search scope. The regional economic impacts of NNS were explored quantitatively through the examples of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, Pudong New Area and Tianjin Binhai New Area in different stages of the reform and opening up. The results indicate that the evo- lution of China＇s regional development policies can be divided into three stages： the explora- tion stage led by Special Economic Zones （SEZs）, the expansion stage dominated by Eco- nomic Development Zones and the optimization stage featuring State-level New Areas and National Comprehensive Reform Pilot Areas. During all the three stages, NNS have played an important demonstrative and leading role and promoted the rapid evolution of China＇s regional development policies from localized to widespread implementation, and the role of the government has also changed accordingly. As an innovative application and development of the growth pole theory in transitional China, NNS have become engines of regional de- velopment as well as important conduits of institutional innovations. NNS and regional de- velopment have achieved a benign coupling and formed a gradated regional development model. Empirical research indicates that NNS are an important method used by the govern- ment to guide and regulate regional economic development, with complex and diverse eco- nomic effects that differ depending on the stage of regional development and the spatial scale of analysis.展开更多
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41401121 The New Teachers＇ Scientific Research Pro- gram funded by Beijing Forestry University, No.BLX2013028
文摘Pilot reforms gradually implemented through key nodes have become an important pattern of regional development in China since the policy of reform and opening up was in- troduced in 1978. On the basis of an analysis of the evolution processes and characteristics of regional development policies in post-reform China, this paper develops the concept and analytical framework of national node strategies （NNS）, defined as regional development strategies centered on specific spatial nodes, by addressing their theoretical basis and re- search scope. The regional economic impacts of NNS were explored quantitatively through the examples of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, Pudong New Area and Tianjin Binhai New Area in different stages of the reform and opening up. The results indicate that the evo- lution of China＇s regional development policies can be divided into three stages： the explora- tion stage led by Special Economic Zones （SEZs）, the expansion stage dominated by Eco- nomic Development Zones and the optimization stage featuring State-level New Areas and National Comprehensive Reform Pilot Areas. During all the three stages, NNS have played an important demonstrative and leading role and promoted the rapid evolution of China＇s regional development policies from localized to widespread implementation, and the role of the government has also changed accordingly. As an innovative application and development of the growth pole theory in transitional China, NNS have become engines of regional de- velopment as well as important conduits of institutional innovations. NNS and regional de- velopment have achieved a benign coupling and formed a gradated regional development model. Empirical research indicates that NNS are an important method used by the govern- ment to guide and regulate regional economic development, with complex and diverse eco- nomic effects that differ depending on the stage of regional development and the spatial scale of analysis.
