A International Comparative Study On Transformation Of Resource-based Regions

There are 8 resource-based provinces and 118 resource-based cities in China. Resource-based industry is one of the important industries in the national economy. In the 1990s, a series of the problems such as resource exhaustion, single industrial structure, sluggish economic growth, declining competitiveness, serious environmental pollution appeared in many resource-based regions. The transformation of resource-based regional development becomes an important task for China. So, we should make a systematic study on industrial evolution in the resource-based regions and explore the optimization of industrial structure model and route choice, which are of practical and strategic significance to the sustainable development and economic and social stability.The transformation of the resource-based regions in the western developed countries began in the late 1950s. After nearly half a century’s development, they have accumulated many experiences and lessons, which are important enlightenments and warnings for us. Existing researches mostly focus on the empirical study on "resource curse", performance of crisis and policies. But they are performed rarely from the perspective of institution-development. In the paper, the author selects three cases of successful transformation of resource-based regions as comparative study object. They are Ruhr in Germany, Kyushu in Japan, and Houston in the United States and through the perspective and methods of CHIA the author tries to reveal the common characteristics and the reasons of different transformation road, though in the initial stage these areas were roughly in the same conditions (late industrialization, mature market environment, urbanization rate has reached or close to 70%, the third industrial revolution is blustery)The thesis includes nine chapters. From the basis of the review of CHIA, the author makes comparations in the four aspects:the role of government, transformation path, corporate governance, and industrial organization, applying the method of case analysis, comparative analysis, normative analysis and empirical analysis. Finally, some countermeasures and suggestions are provided for the economic transformation of resource-based regions in Chia. The main conclusions are as following:1. At the beginning of the transformation of the Ruhr and Kyushu, the central government (state), as an exogenous factor, played a leading role and the transformation process was an exogenous institutional change. With the deepening of the transformation, the role of the central government weakened gradually, regional organizations were more committed and motivated to promote transformation, and regional governments gradually became the main providers of system. Therefore, the transformation process became an endogenous institutional change. Houston’s transformation process in general is endogenous institutional change with the regional governments and enterprises as the main providers of system.2. The transformation paths of the resource-based regions are constrained by various conditions, such as resource endowment, geographical conditions, historical factors and so on. Ruhr, Kyushu, and Houston went different transition path, but they are the same in choosing new and high technology industries as the continued industry, stressing the role of scientific research institutions and going the road of combining production, study and research.3. Influenced by different historical culture, Ruhr, Kyushu, and Houston has formed different corporate governance model. With the development of economic integration and institutional changes of corporate governance in the developed countries, the enterprises in resource-based regions pay more attention to the role of human capital and technology, protection for the interests of employees, creditors and banks and concern about the changes of the market. Thus, they are more likely to become the active promoter of transformation.4. The situation of the regional industrial organizations is affected by many factors such as history, culture, policies. The situation with large enterprises and enclosed environment is not conducive to break the path dependence and promote transformation in Ruhr area; in Kyushu and Houston, the coexistence of large, medium and small industrial organizations and the close collaboration between enterprises are the favorable conditions for smooth transition.5. The economic, social and ecological problems of resource-based areas in our country are caused by a lack of institution supply. At present, the resource-based economic transformation in China is an exogenous institutional change. The central government should provide core system. When the diverse economic landscape is established, the anticipation of a micro organization will change in response to profit opportunities and endogenous institutional change will generate gradually.Main innovation points are:1. About the transformation of resource-based region, most of the studies have made comparative analysis on industrial policy, the transformation pattern and so on. This thesis applies the method of comparative historical institutional analysis and discusses the transformation in resource-based areas from the perspective of institutional change, which is rarely seen on the studies of the similar topic.2. Through the analysis on transformation in the typical areas in the typical countries-Ruhr, Kyushu, and Houston, the author found that the roles of the governments at all levels in resource-based regions are different, the function of the same government is also different in the different stages of transformation, the role of the governments at all levels is dynamic. Only through the mutual cooperation, can the government promote resource-based regional transformation smoothly. On this point, it is obviously different with exploring the role of government in general.3. The writer divide the influence factors into endogenous variables and exogenous factors, employing the method of CHIA and think that the synergy of both affect the direction and process of institutional change in resource-based regions.