Spatial Distribution and Territorial Justice of Public Service for Disadvantaged Groups: Evidence from China

Wang, Hongchuan; Chen, Jing; Xu, Kaibo

doi:10.1007/s11205-024-03327-6

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 60 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This study used several control variables to account for potential influences, including per capita GDP, financial autonomy, and the delivery of other public services, such as the number of primary schools and full-time (FT) teachers in primary schools. Previous research has shown that economic development and financial autonomy will affect the delivery of public services by local governments ( 60 ). In addition, government concerns heavily subsidize health services and education ( 8 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Will urban scale affect health services inequity? The empirical evidence from cities in China

Wang,

Xu,

Fang

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe equity of public resources triggered by city shrinkage is a global challenge. Significantly, the impact of city shrinkage on the allocation of health service resources needs to be better understood. This study explores the impact of population change on government investment and health service delivery in shrinking cities.Data and methodUsing data from China’s Urban Statistical Yearbook (2010–2020), we employ regression discontinuity (RD) and fixed-effect models to examine the causal relationship between city shrinkage and health service provision.ResultShrinking cities show significant disparities in health resources, particularly in bed numbers (−1,167.58, p < 0.05) and doctor availability (−538.54, p < 0.05). Economic development (p < 0.01) and financial autonomy (p < 0.01) influence hospital bed distribution. Investments in public services (primary schools and teachers, p < 0.01) affect health resource delivery. Robustness tests support our results.ConclusionThis study reveals how city shrinkage disrupts health service provision and equity, establishing a causal relationship between city shrinkage/expansion and health resource allocation, emphasizing the imbalance caused by urban population changes. City expansion intensifies competition for health resources, while shrinking cities struggle to provide adequate resources due to government reluctance. Policymakers should adapt health resource allocation strategies to meet patient demands in changing urban landscapes.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%