| Advancement in science and technology has brought about tremendous changes in the world. Under the influence of globalization, increasing competition among cities has been witnessed all over the world and urban competitiveness has become a new research topic. This study conducts a comparative analysis of 253 Chinese cities at prefecture-level or above based on a conceptual framework of urban competitiveness. Two methodological issues are addressed and carefully examined which are the selection of weighting methods and the assessment of the impact of population data on the result of urban competitiveness analysis. Based on the empirical results, this research further analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese cities and the regional pattern of urban competitiveness in China.; In this study, urban competitiveness is understood from a comprehensive perspective including economic, social and environmental components. Adopting a three-level hierarchical indicator system, this study compares the different results derived from the use of two different weighting methods, Equal Weighting and Factor Analysis. Through tracing the calculation process, it is found that Factor Analysis generates problematic weights to some indicators and it also has a tendency to ignore the environmental performance of the cities in this study. Thus the Equal Weighting method seems better to fit urban competitiveness study.; The impact of the quality of population data is addressed by comparing the results using the population data from the 2000 Population Census and from the 2001 Urban Statistical Yearbook. Although the general inconsistency in the result of urban competitiveness analysis caused by using different population data was not as serious as the one caused by using different weighting methods, the results from using population data from the 2001 Urban Statistical Yearbook were inaccurate.; These methodological considerations have led to the selection of Equal Weighting as the weighting method and the 2000 Population Census as the population data source with which to measure urban competitiveness. As revealed by the analysis, the cities varied by having either consistent or inconsistent ranks in their economic, social and environmental competitiveness. Hangzhou, Zhuhai, Beijing, and Shenzhen ranked at the top for the country, while Bazhong, Baoshan, Suining, and Guang'an ranked near the bottom in total urban competitiveness.; The inter-regional differences and intra-regional variations within regions and provinces have been significant in the reform period. The eastern region outstripped the central and western regions not only in economic, but also in social and environmental competitiveness. Economic competitiveness driven by a large amount of FDI in the eastern region was the most outstanding among the three competitiveness dimensions. Cities in the central region were better off than the western region with the exception of Economic Performance. It is worth noting that a few cities in the central and western regions demonstrated strong competitiveness which even outscored many eastern cities. However, the large disparity among the cities in the western region increased the difficulties of reducing the overall regional disparity. The variation of urban competitiveness also shaped the inter-provincial disparity within each region.; This research contributes to the understanding of and measurement of urban competitiveness in Chinese cities. It provides a useful reference on the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese cities. Furthermore, the regional pattern of urban competitiveness also helps to improve the general understanding of China's uneven development. |
