中国区域经济差距分析和政策建议

近二十几年来的改革开放促使了中国经济高速发展,同时也扩大了区域经济发展的差距.1991-2003年东部直辖市、东部沿海、中部和西部四大区域和全国31个省市区域经济发展的实证分析显示,绝对差距逐年扩大,相对差距波动起伏,四大区域间的经济发展非均衡大于全国31个省际间的经济发展非均衡.究其原因,有历史的积累因素,也有现代的博弈缘由.据此,应采取措施缩小区域经济差距,促进区域经济同步协调发展.

Regional Economic Disparity in China,and Suggestions on Policy Making

The open and market-based economic reforms in China have resulted in the rapid economic development in the recent decades.However, unbalanced development of regional economies is worsening.This paper analyses the regional disparities of economic development among three eastern metropolitan centers,eastern coastal provinces,the central region,the western region and among all 31 provinces between 1991-2003.The absolute disparities among both the four regions and all provinces have increased annually.Their growth rates have varied over time,but have all increased since 2000.The relative disparities among both the four regions and all provinces varied over time,and have increased since 1995.Also,in every year between 1991-2003,both the absolute and relative disparity among the four regions were larger than those among all provinces.This suggests that the regional disparity of economic development among the four regions is worse than that among all provinces.If this regional economic disparity persists,it may lead to economic and political instability in China.There are various and complicated reasons which caused this regional disparity of economic development in China.There are historically accumulated factors and modern subjective factors,including:(1) The geographic factor.For example,two eastern regions have better infrastructures for transportation.(2) Preferential financial and tax policies toward eastern and coastal regions.((3)Uneven) market-based reforms in the four regions: Two eastern regions have a higher percentage of non-state-owned enterprises than central and western regions.(4) Regional differences in agricultural to industrial ratios.(5) More educated and skilled workers are in the eastern regions than in the central and western regions.(6) Disparity between urban and rural areas.Finally this paper suggests new strategies and policy making to help reduce this regional disparity and develop balanced regional economies.(1) To adopt preferential financial and tax policies toward less developed regions,such as the central and west regions.(2) To attract more educated and skilled workers to less developed central and western regions.(3) To set up a national information network.(4) To enforce market-based reform in all regions equally and strengthen the vitality of market economy.(5) To maximize the efficiency of regional economies with a balance between fairness and productivity.(6) To speed up agricultural development by linking it with global economy.It is expected that these suggestions would be helpful to those who are choosing strategies of regional development,and may relieve potential social conflicts caused by increasing regional disparity of economic development.