IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/asi/ajosrd/v4y2014i2p113-127id1128.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Study on Regional Specialization of China’s Agricultural Production: Recent Trends and Drivers

Author

Listed:
  • Meilin Ma
  • Sandro Steinbach
  • Junqian Wu

Abstract

The paper examines trends and drivers for regional specialization of China’s agricultural produc-tion for 2003-2011. We apply the Regional Specialization Index to a data set of commodities that covers 70 percent of China’s crop and livestock production. Actual prices at the provincial level are used and a seven-region framework is established that accurately reflects China’s agro-ecological characteristics. Our findings show that inequality of specialization among the Chinese regions has narrowed, with the year 2007 as a turning point. We argue that the enhanced regional specialization is due to less government intervention and more openness to international markets. Growing economic freedom, accompanied by intensified internal and external competition, has driven the regions to adjust agricultural production structures closely according to comparative advantages. Recent trends of specialization are identified and explained. Moreover, quantitative evidence to relevant agricultural policies is provided.

Suggested Citation

  • Meilin Ma & Sandro Steinbach & Junqian Wu, 2014. "A Study on Regional Specialization of China’s Agricultural Production: Recent Trends and Drivers," Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 4(2), pages 113-127.
  • Handle: RePEc:asi:ajosrd:v:4:y:2014:i:2:p:113-127:id:1128
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://archive.aessweb.com/index.php/5005/article/view/1128/1636
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Allan N. Rae & Xiaohui Zhang, 2009. "China's booming livestock industry: household income, specialization, and exit," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 40(6), pages 603-616, November.
    2. Xiwen Chen, 2009. "Review of China's agricultural and rural development: policy changes and current issues," China Agricultural Economic Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 1(2), pages 121-135, January.
    3. Karl Aiginger & Stephen W. Davies, 2004. "Industrial specialisation and geographic concentration: Two sides of the same coin? Not for the European Union," Journal of Applied Economics, Universidad del CEMA, vol. 7, pages 231-248, November.
    4. Wolf, Nikolaus, 2007. "Endowments vs. market potential: What explains the relocation of industry after the Polish reunification in 1918?," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 22-42, January.
    5. Carter, Colin A. & Li, Xianghong, 2002. "Implications of World Trade Organisation accession for China’s agricultural trade patterns," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 46(2), pages 1-15.
    6. Karl Aiginger & Stephen W. Davies, 2004. "Industrial Specialisation and Geographic Concentration: Two Sides of the Same Coin? Not for the European Union," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 231-248, November.
    7. Deininger, Klaus & Olinto, Pedro, 2001. "Rural Nonfarm Employment and Income Diversification in Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 455-465, March.
    8. Colin A. Carter & Funing Zhong & Jing Zhu, 2012. "Advances in Chinese Agriculture and its Global Implications," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 34(1), pages 1-36.
    9. Seong-Hoon Cho & Zhuo Chen & Neelam Poudyal, 2010. "Spatial structure of agricultural production in China," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(16), pages 2031-2040.
    10. repec:wsr:wpaper:y:2010:i:062 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Huffman, Wallace E. & Evenson, Robert E., 2000. "Structural and productivity change in US agriculture, 1950-1982," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 127-147, January.
    12. Young, Allyn A., 1928. "Increasing Returns and Economic Progress," History of Economic Thought Articles, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, vol. 38, pages 527-542.
    13. Colin A. Carter & Bryan Lohmar, 2002. "Regional Specialization of China's Agricultural Production," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 84(3), pages 749-753.
    14. Juan R. Cuadrado-Roura & Begoña García-Greciano & José Luis Raymond, 1999. "Regional Convergence in Productivity and Productive Structure: The Spanish Case," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 22(1), pages 35-53, April.
    15. Douglass C. North, 1955. "Location Theory and Regional Economic Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 63(3), pages 243-243.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Meilin Ma & Sandro Steinbach & Junqian Wu, 2014. "A Study on Regional Specialization of China`s Agricultural Production: Recent Trends and Drivers," Asian Journal of Agriculture and rural Development, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 4(2), pages 113-127, February.
    2. Yang, Dan & Liu, Zimin, 2012. "Does farmer economic organization and agricultural specialization improve rural income? Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 990-993.
    3. repec:wsr:wpaper:y:2010:i:062 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Eleonora Cutrini, 2005. "The Balassa Index meets the Theil Index - a Decomposition Methodology for Location Studies," ERSA conference papers ersa05p123, European Regional Science Association.
    5. Trejo Nieto , Alejandra Berenice, 2010. "The geographic concentration in Mexican manufacturing industries, an account of patterns, dynamics and explanations: 1988-2003," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 18, pages 37-60.
    6. Haiqian Ke & Wenyi Yang & Xiaoyang Liu & Fei Fan, 2020. "Does Innovation Efficiency Suppress the Ecological Footprint? Empirical Evidence from 280 Chinese Cities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-23, September.
    7. Simla Tokgoz & Danielle Alencar Parente Torres & David Laborde & Jikun Huang, 2014. "The role of U.S., China, Brazil's agricultural and trade policies on global food supply and demand," FOODSECURE Working papers 19, LEI Wageningen UR.
    8. Cutrini, Eleonora, 2009. "Using entropy measures to disentangle regional from national localization patterns," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 243-250, March.
    9. HAEDO, Christian & MOUCHART, Michel, 2012. "A stochastic independence approach for different measures of concentration and specialization," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2012025, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    10. Natércia Godinho Mira, 2008. "Indústria transformadora portuguesa: especialização das regiões e/ou concentração geográfica de indústrias?," CEFAGE-UE Working Papers 2008_13, University of Evora, CEFAGE-UE (Portugal).
    11. Maria Tsiapa, 2014. "Industrial Concentration Patterns of the European Union," SCIENZE REGIONALI, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2014(3), pages 5-33.
    12. repec:lic:licosd:19507 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Sofia Wixe & Martin Andersson, 2017. "Which types of relatedness matter in regional growth? Industry, occupation and education," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(4), pages 523-536, April.
    14. Farid MAKHLOUF & Natalia VECHIU, 2010. "Economic Integration and Productive Specialization in the EU27: does FDI influence Countries’ Specialization?," Working Papers 2010-2011_6, CATT - UPPA - Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, revised Nov 2010.
    15. Akihiro Otsuka, 2020. "How do population agglomeration and interregional networks improve energy efficiency?," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 1-25, February.
    16. Anne Marie Gleeson & Frances Ruane & Julie Sutherland, 2006. "Promoting Industrial Clusters: Evidence from Ireland," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Ana Teresa Tavares & Aurora Teixeira (ed.), Multinationals, Clusters and Innovation, chapter 7, pages 107-119, Palgrave Macmillan.
    17. Natalia Vechiu & Farid Makhlouf, 2014. "Economic integration and specialization in production in the EU27: does FDI influence countries’ specialization?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 543-572, March.
    18. Aleksandra Parteka, 2010. "Employment and export specialisation along the development path: some robust evidence," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 145(4), pages 615-640, January.
    19. Bickenbach, Frank & Bode, Eckhardt, 2006. "Disproportionality measures of concentration, specialization, and polarization," Kiel Working Papers 1276, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    20. Shaoming Cheng & Huaqun Li, 2012. "New firm formation facing cultural and racial diversity," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 91(4), pages 759-774, November.
    21. George Petrakos & Georgios Fotopoulos & Dimitris Kallioras, 2012. "Peripherality and Integration: Industrial Growth and Decline in the Greek Regions," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 30(2), pages 347-361, April.
    22. Li, Lihua & Bellotti, Bill & Komarek, Adam M., 2016. "Structural change and agricultural diversification since China’s reforms," Bio-based and Applied Economics Journal, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA), vol. 5(2), September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:asi:ajosrd:v:4:y:2014:i:2:p:113-127:id:1128. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Robert Allen (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://archive.aessweb.com/index.php/5005/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.