What kind of urban brand ecology attracts talent best? Grey configuration analysis of 98 Chinese cities

Abstract

PurposeTalent is a key resource for urban development, and building and disseminating urban brands have an important impact on attracting talent. This paper explores what kind of urban brand ecology (UBE) can effectively enhance urban talent attraction (UTA). We explore this question using a novel grey quantitative configuration analysis (GQCA) model.Design/methodology/approachTo develop the GQCA model, grey clustering is combined with qualitative configuration analysis (QCA). We conducted comparative configuration analysis of UTA using fuzzy set QCA (fsQCA) and the proposed GQCA.FindingsWe find that the empirical results of fsQCA may contradict the facts, and that the proposed GQCA effectively solves this problem.Practical implicationsBased on the theory of UBE, we identify bottleneck factors for improving UTA at different stages. Seven configuration paths are described for cities to enhance UTA. Theoretically, this study expands the application boundaries of UBE.Originality/valueThe proposed GQCA effectively solves the problem of inconsistent analysis and facts caused by the use of a binary threshold by the fsQCA. In practical case studies, the GQCA significantly improves the reliability of configuration comparisons and the sensitivity of QCA to cases, demonstrating excellent research performance.