Clustering, growth and inequality in China
研究中国产业集群对区域经济增长和城乡收入不平等的影响，发现集群促进增长，且创业型集群通过提高农村居民收入缩小城乡差距，但在高城市化地区或特大城市效果较弱。
Abstract This study examines the effects of China’s industrial clusters on regional economic growth and urban–rural income inequality within a region. A density-based index (DBI) is developed to capture the unique features of cluster development in China. From a county-level DBI panel data constructed based on firm- and county-level datasets, we find that clusters enhance local economic growth substantially. Moreover, the existence of entrepreneurial clusters (clusters mainly consist of nonstate-owned firms) helps to reduce local urban–rural income inequality by increasing the income of local rural residents. We also find that the clustering effects on growth and reduction of inequality are less significant in more urbanized regions or megacities. Identification issues are carefully addressed by deploying two-stage estimations with instrumental variables and Granger test.