Jean-François Brun

Are there spillover effects between coastal and noncoastal regions in China

The evolution of regional policy between the Mao era and the Deng era generated much debate concerning inter-provincial disparities and the trade-off between efficiency and equity. The aim of this paper is to explore the existence of regional growth spillover effects looked for Deng’s policy. Indeed, the main objective was the spread of coastal provinces’ growth onto inland provinces’ growth. After reviewing the theoretical underpinnings of such effects, their existence is tested with panel data, for the period 1981-1998. Moreover, the hypothesis of an equal distribution of these effects over all the inland provinces is also tested. A relative failure to boost development of the western provinces from the coastal provinces’ growth is observed. Hence, it would seen to be an error to wait for spillover effects to be sufficient to reduce disparities between Chinese provinces in the short run.

International Trade and Regional Specialization in China

In twenty years of reform in China, the key development has been the opening-up of the market to foreign trade and international investment. This increased economic openness has been accompanied by profound changes in both economic organisation and regional disparity. This comprehensive book focuses on the link between these economic reforms and the causes – and ultimately the implications – of regional inequalities in the most populous country in the world.