Study On The Spatial Behaviors Of Different Agents In The Village And Township During The Process Of Urbanization

Based on the important research project Spatial Structure and Layout of Village and Township in the process of the Urban-rural Integrated development (05JJDZH232), which is funded by the Humanities and Social Science Research Centre of Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, the dissertation analyses the spatial change of village and township during the urbanization process with the perspective of the various agents in the village and township. The theoretical and empirical approaches be employed, the dissertation systematically investigates spatial behaviors, attributes and decision-making processes of different agents in the village and township as well as the comprehensive spatial impacts on village and township area. Moreover, applying the Game Theory in the paper, mechanics of different agents in the villages and township are unfolded based on their different spatial behaviors. Accordingly, some suggestions and recommendations are provided so as to guide and regulate the various spatial behaviors of the agents effectively.Firstly, on the basis of extensive literature review on Economics, Sociology, and Management, the paper develops the primary theory on the spatial behaviors of different agents in the village and township, which are discussed in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. According to the primary theory, the author suggests Space Scarcity and Space Demand are the base of the spatial behaviors and interaction for the agents in the village and township. The institutional advance, based on the Game Theory, can guide and regulate the spatial behaviors of the agents in the village and township effectively, and optimizing the spatial environment of village and township area are the guiding orientation ,which includes (1) the effective and intensive utilization of spatial resources to achieve optimal allocation; (2) reasonable distribution of spatial benefits to ensure space welfare of differential agents in the village and township; (3) rational exploitation of spatial resources to fulfill regionally sustainable development; and (4) advisable attention on protection of spatial environment of village and township area to develop the harmony relationship between human beings and nature.Secondly, the spatial bahaviors of three agents of rural residents, village and township enterprises, and local governments are explored respectively, on the base of which the paper employs the game theory to analyses the interaction among the different agents. Chapter 3, 4, 5, and 6 present the work in both theoretical and empirical study, some conclusions are proposed as following :(1) For the rural residents, the spatial behaviors can be classified into village-employed pattern, township-employed pattern and migration pattern in terms of employment and residence attributes. During the process of the spatial pattern shift, the rural residents keep on changing the pattern of making use of the spatial resources due to the changes of space scarcity resulting from their space demand, which would result in the less effective usages of the rural spatial resources, which would result in the less effective usages of the rural spatial resources.(2) For the village and township enterprises, most of which possess the characteristics of localization in China, influenced by their distinctive background and actual institutional environment, they are highly scattered in the rural and township areas with deviation from the general spatial decision rules. These high dispersion not only check the effective and intensive utilization of spatial resources of rural area, but also exacerbate the effects of negative externalities as well as the degeneration of environmental resources.(3) As far as the local governments concerned, the main spatial behaviors include the adjustment of administrative zoning in the county scale, infrastructure construction , making and implementing various spatial plans to effectively manage the urban-rural spatial resources .The frequent modification of the administrative zone in the county scale put a significant impact on the spatial development of the related counties, towns, and villages. Similarly, diverse spatial plans play an orientation role in the spatial development of village and township area. Additionally, for residents and enterprises in the village and township area, the severe insufficiency of infrastructure supply results in the great loss of space welfare and the limit role of guiding the spatial behaviors, which to some extent intensify the chaos situation of current rural settlement and the dispersion of village and township enterprises.(4) The spatial behaviors of different agents in the village and township in terms of the game theory approach identify that the complex interrelationships between rural residents, village and township enterprises, and local governments lead to the deviation of spatial behaviors' equilibrium strategies from current collective rationality during the process of maximizing the benefits according to the current game rules. Inevitably, this deviation has a negative and significant influence on spatial environment of village and township area. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve the institutions and alter the game rules to guide the spatial behaviors of all agents in the village and township into the right track.Finall, as the conclusion part, based on the comprehensive analysis of spatial behaviors of different agents in the village and township, chapter 7 provides a series of recommendations on public policies so as to effectively guide and regulate the spatial behaviors of different agents in the village and township and thus optimize the space of village and township area.