An Empirical Study On The Relationship Between Mineral Resource And Regional Economic Growth

The study of relationship between mineral resources and economic growth is a classic proposition of economics. The mineral resources are the basis for economic development. Abundant mineral resources can promote regional economic growth. However, since the eighties of the last century, a large number of empirical study of relationship between mineral resources and economic growth show that: From a longer time scale, the relationship between abundant mineral resource and economic growth presented in the opposite direction. This phenomenon is known as the "resource curse." Though there is doubts voice. Studies that used different indicators to measure the abundance of mineral resources may come to different conclusions. Dose mineral resources and regional economic growth change in the same direction or opposite direction? It is difficult to get satisfactory results by using single-level indicators to determine the relationship between the two. Based on this, this article try to evaluate the relationship between regional economic growth and mineral resources comprehensively and objectively from theory and demonstration by using different levels and different meanings indicators associated with resource abundance. This study can enrich the regional economic development theory, and also has an important reference in the selection of real important variable of the resource-based regions.This article used domestic and overseas research methods and results on the relationship between mineral resources and economic growth for reference. On this basis, this article define the concepts of mineral resource abundance, mineral resource exploitation efforts and mineral resources dependence and explain the relationship between mineral resources and regional economic growth from three levels in theory and carry out empirical study on the relationship between mineral resources and regional economic growth by using provincial-level data. We obtained mainly conclusions as following.(1) The impact of Mineral resources on regional economic development may exist from three levels of timing: the status of undeveloped mineral resources, developing mineral resources and developed mineral resources in regional economic activity. These three levels can be measured with three variables: mineral resource abundance, mineral resource exploitation efforts and mineral resources dependence. They have different impact on regional economic development.(2) The relationship between mineral resource abundance and regional economic growth is uncertain. Mineral resource abundance only reflects the degree of the regional occurrence of mineral resources. It will impact on regional economic growth only when enter the economic life. This paper use base reserves of mineral resources as a measure of mineral resources abundance. Analysis showed that the relationship between base reserves of mineral resources and regional economic growth is uncertain when the correlation between mineral resources abundance and mineral resources exploitation efforts.(3) Appropriate mineral resources exploitation will not adversely affect regional economic growth, but inappropriate mineral resources development will have adverse influence on regional economy. Appropriate mineral resources development fully account on the carrying capacity of economic, social, natural and environment and minimize the externality of develop behavior, inappropriate mineral resources development doesn't. From a national perspective, mineral resource development is relatively modest and empirical results show that there doesn't exist "resource curse" phenomenon. In the resource-based region, regional economic growth was impeded by the development of mineral resources.(4) Over-exploitation of mineral resources, resulting in mineral resources sector occupies an important position in the regional economy will form mineral resources dependence. As mineral resources are always concentrated or dispersed in some regions, larger regional scale, the lower dependence on mineral resources. The region whose mineral resources dependence is higher is more vulnerable to be cursed by mineral resources, it is not the same for the region whose mineral resources dependence is lower. From a national perspective, the mineral resources dependence is not high, empirical results show that the impact of mineral resources on regional economic growth is uncertain, there are both positive effects and negative effects. In the resource-based regions, from the view of the proportion of mining value added, mineral resources has hindered regional economic growth and the strength of obstacle increased As the regional resource-based features enhanced.