Evolutionary economic geography (EEG) indicates that regional industrial development is path dependent. The empirical studies in EEG however have not paid sufficient attention to the importance of global linkages nor the role of regional institutions in driving industrial dynamics. Based on firm level data of four‐digit manufacturing industries during 1998 to 2008 in China, we find that Chinese regions branch into new industries technologically related to the existing industrial portfolio and related industries are less likely to exit. Further analysis reveals that global linkages, economic liberalization and state involvement not only create favourable conditions to allow a larger role of technological relatedness but also generate opportunities for Chinese regions to create new paths of industrial development.

This study takes urbanizing China as the research object, employs data from three follow-up surveys conducted by the Harmonized China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, and examines the effects of urban sprawl on public health from physical and mental health perspectives. Although urban sprawl does not necessarily increase the risk of each specific type of disease or psychological feeling, it has a significant impact on overall physical and mental health. Further analysis reveals significant heterogeneity in the effects of urban sprawl on the physical and mental health of different groups. Specifically, urban sprawl is detrimental to the physical health of males and females, but only has negative impact on the mental health of females. Younger groups are more vulnerable to physical and mental health damage from urban sprawl relative to middle-aged and older groups. In addition, urban sprawl has a significant negative impact on the health of the low-education group but a very limited impact on the health of the high-education counterpart. From an income perspective, however, the preference for suburban housing among middle- and high-income groups makes their health more vulnerable to the negative effects of urban sprawl than low-income groups living in urban centers.

This study analyzes the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban land use structure of more than 18,000 small towns in China by using the National Urban Land Use Survey Data between 2009 and 2013. It finds that the urban land area of small towns expanded rapidly during the research period. The spatial pattern of urban land use structure in small towns exhibits significant regional differences. Small towns in developed coastal regions, particularly those located in global urban areas, have a higher urban land use scale relative to small towns in central and western regions. However, the urban land use scale of small towns located in less developed inland areas has grown faster. The spatial distribution of urban stock land in small towns is mainly influenced by demographic and socio-economic factors. However, the spatial distribution of new urban land is primarily influenced by the land supply policy, which is tilted toward the central and western regions. In terms of structure, the proportion of production and living land in small towns is high, while the proportion of public services and facilities land is low. This trend is being strengthened, with commercial service land and industrial, mining, and storage land becoming the major drivers for the rapid rise of urban land in small towns. The allocation of construction land quotas should be consistent with the direction of population movement and the demands of socioeconomic development.

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