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Does High-Speed Railway Influence Convergence of Urban-Rural Income Gap in China?

Author

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  • Weidong Li

    (School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Xuefang Wang

    (School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Olli-Pekka Hilmola

    (Industrial Engineering and Management, LUT Kouvola, LUT University, Prikaatintie 9, FIN-45100 Kouvola, Finland)

Abstract

Transportation is an important factor affecting the balance of regional economic pattern. The construction of high-speed railway enhances the mobility of population, capital, technology and information resources between urban and rural areas. Will it further affect the income gap between urban and rural areas? Based on the nonlinear time-varying factor model, this paper analyzes the convergence of urban-rural income gap with the angle of high-speed railway. After rejecting the assumption of overall convergence in the traditional four economic regions, three convergence clubs of urban-rural income gap were found. For these ordered logit regression model is used to explore the initial factors that may affect the formation of “convergence club”. Empirical results show that the construction of High-speed railway has effectively narrows the urban-rural income gap in China, but it is not the cause of the formation of the three convergence clubs. The convergence effect of High-speed railway on the urban-rural income gap in China is still relatively weak.

Suggested Citation

  • Weidong Li & Xuefang Wang & Olli-Pekka Hilmola, 2020. "Does High-Speed Railway Influence Convergence of Urban-Rural Income Gap in China?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-14, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4236-:d:361293
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    7. Changteng Nie & Jianxiang Wan, 2023. "How Does Internet Infrastructure Construction Affect the Urban–Rural Income Gap? Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment in China," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 23(3), pages 317-337, July.

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