Using a heterogeneity stochastic frontier model (HSFM), we empirically investigated the economic efficiency of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei from 2003 to 2016 and its influencing factors. The key findings of the paper lie in: 1) in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the overall economic and technological efficiency tended to increase in a wavelike manner, economic growth slowed down, and there was an obvious imbalance in economic efficiency between the different districts, counties and cities; 2) the heterogeneity stochastic frontier production functions (SFPFs) of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei were different from each other, and investment was still an important impetus of economic growth in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei; 3) economic efficiency was positively correlated with economic agglomeration, human capital, industrial structure, infrastructure, the informatization level, and institutional factors, but negatively correlated with the government role and economic opening. The following policy suggestions are offered: 1) to improve regional economic efficiency and reduce the economic gap in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, governments must reduce their intervention in economic activities, stimulate the potentials of labor and capital, optimize the structure of human resources, and foster new demographic incentives; 2) governments must guide economic factors that are reasonable throughout Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and strengthen infrastructure construction in underdeveloped regions, thus attaining sustainable economic development; 3) governments must plan overall economic growth factors of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and promote reasonable economic factors (e.g., labor, resources, and innovations) across different regions, thus attaining complementary advantages between Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei.
This study constructs a theoretical model and empirical framework concerning how spatial structure affects economic efficiency using data on the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) megaregion between 2008 and 2017. The study finds the following: ① the development of the internal spatial structure of the BTH urban agglomeration is unequal. The populations of most cities in the urban agglomeration are still in a dispersed state. Although urban populations have tended to agglomerate around multiple subcenter units in the cities, the trend towards population agglomeration around city centers is not found to be significant. ② The total factor productivity (TFP) of the BTH urban agglomeration was not high in most years between 2008 and 2017, showing a fluctuating downward trend overall. The TFP of the urban agglomeration showed differential regional patterns. The decline of TFP growth in the BTH urban agglomeration is mainly due to declining technological progress, technological efficiency, and scale efficiency. Resource input remains the major driving force behind the development of the BTH megaregion. ③ Concerning how the spatial structure of the urban agglomeration affected economic efficiency, the study finds that primacy, urban Gini index, urban population size, human capital, informatization level, industrial structure, and science and technology levels have positive effects on economic efficiency, whereas dispersion, governmental role, economic openness, and land input have negative effects. This study has several policy implications. Achieving coordinated and integrated development of the BTH urban agglomeration will require constructing a scientific and regional spatial system, improving the development levels of regional central cities, divesting Beijing of noncapital functions, and reshaping the industrial layout of the BTH megaregion in an orderly manner, while continuously improving the internal hierarchical structure of urban agglomeration and strengthening intercity economic connections.
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