Research On Urban Growth Effect Of Manufacturing Agglomeration

The city is the engine of modern economic growth.Improving the quality of urban development is one of the principal tasks for new urbanization construction.Manufacturing is an important industry for creating wealth which stimulates the economic growth of cities.The real economy based on manufacturing is still an important force to promote urban economic growth and structural transformation.The agglomeration and development of manufacturing industry not only affect the allocation of urban resources,but also influence the long-term sustainable growth of cities.Manufacturing agglomeration,as a spatial geographical phenomenon,plays a crucial role in promoting the formation and development of urban agglomerations.Middle Yangtze River City Group is one of the state-level city groups,an important component of Yangtze River Economic Zone and also a key area with implementation of strategy that facilitates the rising of Central China,all-dimensional deepening of reform and opening up,and advancement of new-type of urbanization.Since the founding of New China,manufacturing industry always plays an important role in the development of Middle Yangtze River City Group.Developing and expanding advanced manufacturing industry and building up an advantageous cluster is an important task for Middle Yangtze River City Group in creating a modern industrial system with regional characteristics.Under multiple backgrounds of China economy developing into "New Normal","Made in China 2025" and new urbanization strategy,to study the agglomeration effect of manufacturing industry in Middle Yangtze River City Group is of great practical significance for construction of city groups.Starting from the endogenous force that drives urban growth formed by manufacturing agglomeration,this dissertation builds a theoretical analysis framework of the relationship between manufacturing agglomeration and urban growth,based on the theory of industrial agglomeration and endogenous growth,combined with the characteristics of modern manufacturing.According to this theoretical analysis framework,the cities in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were selected for empirical analysis.In empirical research,the city growth indicators and the index of manufacturing agglomeration were respectively calculated.Subsequently,panel data regression,threshold regression and spatial panel regression are used to study the urban growth effect of manufacturing agglomeration.Through the research,this thesis has obtained abundant conclusions.From the theoretical view,the agglomeration of manufacturing in the city forms the division of labor in the city,and the division of labor is also accompanied by the division of knowledge.With the deepening of the division of knowledge,professional manufacturing knowledge can be accumulated,which increases the return on scale and becomes the source of urban economic growth.The externalities generated by the agglomeration of manufacturing in the city have accelerated the exchange of knowledge among manufacturing enterprises,and also promoted the exchange of knowledge between manufacturing and other industries.Knowledge spillover between industries is another way that manufacturing agglomeration affects urban growth.In addition,knowledge dissemination and diffusion occur not only in cities but also in cities.Therefore,the knowledge generated by the agglomeration of manufacturing in one city influences the growth of other cities in the city group through the spatial correlation mechanism,and then driving the overall growth of the region.From the empirical view,firstly,within the middle reach of Yangtze river,agglomeration in sectors with comparative advantages,such as Smelting and Pressing of Ferrous Metals,Manufacture of Chemical Fibers,and Manufacture of Rubber and Plastics,has limited effect on the improvement of urban efficiency.However,the productive knowledge formed by these manufacturing sectors through long-term development will contribute to the generation of urban innovation and the accumulation of human capital.Secondly,with the development of manufacturing and cities,the impact of knowledge spillovers which come from inter-industry and intra-industry information exchanges,has shifted from improving urban efficiency to promoting urban innovations and increasing human capitals.Thirdly,the closeness of social relations between cities is conducive to the urban growth effect of manufacturing agglomeration.On the one hand,the proximity of social distance is not only beneficial for the knowledge exchanges between the emerging manufacturing sectors but also conducive to traditional manufacturing sectors.On the other hand,it has accelerated the process of knowledge diffusion among cities which formed by knowledge exchanges within the industry,thus increases innovation and human capital in the overall city group,which is conducive to the sustainable urban growth.The above conclusions have profound practical significance for the construction of urban agglomerations in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.First,we need to correctly handle the relationship between manufacturing agglomeration and urban development,make full use of the positive effect of manufacturing agglomeration on innovation and human capital,and limit its negative effects on efficiency.Second,policy makers must pay attention to matching the relationship between manufacturing and urban development,to make them cooperate with each other and promote urban development.Third,it is necessary to form an interaction mechanism between cities,encourage information exchange between cities,break the boundaries of administrative divisions,and maximize the role of manufacturing agglomeration in enhancing urban agglomeration growth.Compared with the existing literature,the innovation point of this dissertation is mainly reflected in the following three aspects:(1)From the perspective of research,this dissertation focuses on the effect of manufacturing agglomeration on urban efficiency and sustainable growth,and the knowledge formed by manufacturing agglomeration.Therefore,theoretical analysis framework of urban knowledge growth,technological progress and manufacturing agglomeration effect which includes the knowledge division,knowledge spillover and spatial association,was constructed to discuss the relationship between knowledge accumulation of manufacturing agglomeration and urban growth.(2)Classification method of manufacturing industry was improved.In addition,measurement method of manufacturing diversification has also been improved in the process of empirical research.(3)In the conclusion of the study,this dissertation argues that encouraging the development of high-tech manufacturing industries is beneficial to the growth of cities and urban agglomerations.However,although traditional manufacturing has a limited effect on promoting urban efficiency,the innovative effects of knowledge accumulated in production process are also important for building innovative cities.Therefore,in the construction of urban agglomerations,the role of traditional manufacturing in the city cannot be ignored.