National Regional Characteristics Of Economic Development Research

The concept of an "economy with local characteristics", an important subject of research on regional economics, is the result of market competition under the market-based economy and the policy framework of reform and opening-up. As ethnic regions are endowed with unique natural and geographical resources, it is of critical importance to understand how to translate such resources into an economic advantage; in other words, existing natural resources need to be tapped to develop the local economy. Xilinguolemeng ( abbreviated as "Ximeng") has developed a local economy based on specialized animal husbandry businesses, a unique economic growth model that leverages opportunities created through the central government's Western Development Strategy and a number of preferential policies for ethnic regions in western China. Thanks to such a growth model, Ximeng now boasts a vibrant economy, with its number of breeds and animal products taking the leading position across the entire jurisdiction. Through industrial restructuring in recent years, local governments at all levels have transformed the traditional quantity-driven business model into a quality-driven one. Also, their strategy of "enclosing and transforming" has created a far-reaching impact, as it has motivated local herdsmen to develop their animal husbandry business in a constructive and scientific manner, increased household income for both farmers and herdsmen, driven the coordinated development of related industries and stimulated local economic growth. However, we must remain mindful of the fact that like local industries in other ethnic regions, the local animal husbandry industry is facing a long list of problems and loopholes, including degradation in grassland resources, little progress in infrastructure development and backward processing and distribution services for the animal products industry, all of which have constrained the growth of the local economy. Therefore, key issues that officials and researchers at local governments must address immediately include how to promote the development of the animal husbandry industry in a scientific way, create the mindset of developing this industry systematically, improveproduction, distribution and processing of animal products, achieve the win-win objectives of environmental improvement and income growth for farmers and herdsmen, translate natural resources into real economic advantages and achieve sustainable economic growth. Therefore, the research on Ximeng's local specialized animal husbandry industry is closely linked with the coordinated development of the local economy, society and environment and is therefore of great political and pragmatic importance.An "economy with local characteristics" is a cross-disciplinary subject that covers ethnic economics, regional economics and ethnology. Today, a large number of Chinese and international scholars are working on this subject and have published a great many academic papers with fruitful research results. Although different scholars hold different opinions regarding the essence of an "economy with local characteristics" or work on different aspects or regions of such an economy, they invariably arrive at the same conclusion that local advantages in resources should be leveraged and translated into economic growth engines that promote sustainable growth of the local economy. In terms of research methodology, some scholars, by combining qualitative analysis with quantitative analysis, have developed and run statistical models to make a fine-grained analysis of issues in local economic development; and others have combined theoretical analysis with cases studies and thus demonstrated their special research capabilities in conducting sociological surveys and analyzing typical case examples.An "economy with local characteristics" is an inevitable trend in the course of a region's economic development. China's unique growth model has offered an excellent solution from which developing countries could learn in addressing their own regional imbalances. The following conclusions are drawn from my analysis on the development of Ximeng's local animal husbandry industry. Firstly, local economic growth must depend on local resources; in other words, local advantages must be fully leveraged in developing industries with unique local characteristics and in creating a regional economic growth model that is balanced, effective and competitive. Secondly, the success of Ximeng's local industries does nothappen overnight but takes a gradual process. Based on an analysis of the status quo and current issues, this paper is about finding answers and solutions and is a nouveau research exercise on the strategy of "enclosing and transforming". Thirdly, the purpose of this research paper is to study Ximeng the microcosm of grassland/pastoral regions, find new approaches, apply them in Qinghai, Tibet and other pastoral regions of Inner Mongolia and thus drive the economic development of these ethnic regions.Such an economic growth model needs to be further improved based on continuous research and exploration. As there are only a small number of scholars covering local industries (e.g. animal husbandry) or specific ethnic regions (e.g. Ximeng), only limited academic resources are available. Therefore, I want to contribute personally to academic analysis and debate on this subject and this paper of mine is innovative for three reasons. Firstly, economic theories on "economies with local characteristics" have been applied in my analysis of Ximeng's local animal husbandry industry. Secondly, an in-depth analysis has been made on the policy of "enclosing and transforming", a key initiative driving the growth of Ximeng's local industry.