Ways And Influence Mechanism Of Agglomeration Of Producer Services On Reconstruction Of Regional Space

Since the beginning of the eighties of the20th century, the global industrial pattern has begun transforming from previously a manufacturing dominated structure to services dominated structure. Consequently, the global economic structure has been in a rapid and constant updating process. In coherence with this, the overall global economy has also been undertaking progressive shift from manufacturing dominated production to services dominated production. And, because of this, the human society has been gradually getting into an era of the so-called "service society". In this process, it has been believed that producer services are important to regional economic growth, especially under the stage of industrial transformation and agglomeration of producer services has exerted and will exert incremental impact on regional economy in general and its spatial structure in particular.However, in literature, although many researches indicate that rise and agglomeration of producer services has become an incentive in upgrading and reconstructing regional economy, there is still lack of enough study with theoretical and empirical analyses of their relationship between agglomeration and dynamics of the new economic geography in academic circle, particularly the ways and influence mechanism of agglomeration of producer services on reconstruction of the regional space. Thus, to probe into agglomeration process of the producer services with a space perspective and thereby its relevance to the regional spatial structure is undoubtedly useful in terms of either promoting further development of the new geographic economy literarily, or lifting up the overall level of the regional economy with industrial competitiveness practically.In order to meet with the main aim of this research and following the above discussions, this thesis concerns with five main parts:Part I, including Chapter One and Chapter Two, discusses introduction, concepts, relevant theories and literature reviews related. Firstly, based on the background and importance of this research, it puts forward the contents, aim, and methodology with technical route of the research. Secondly, on the base of related concepts, it discusses related theories of spatial agglomeration of the producer services and regional spatial reconstruction respectively, with the former including classical location theories, industrial district theory, economic competitiveness theory, spatial economic theory and agglomeration economy theory, and the latter growth pole theory, point axis theory, core-periphery theory, gradient theory and circle structure theory. Finally, it deals with literature review of agglomeration of the producer services, regional spatial reconstruction and their relationships respectively. Part II, including Chapter Three and Chapter Four, analyses mainly the basic rule, driving factors, models of agglomeration of the producer services, and the ways and influence mechanism of agglomeration of producer services on reconstruction of the regional space. Firstly, it analyses the basic rule of agglomeration of the producer services at global, regional and city levels respectively, and then sums up seven driving factors and five basic models in terms of agglomeration of the producer services. Secondly, it discusses the four ways and three aspects of the influence mechanism in this regard. Finally, it discusses their expression patterns at both the city and regional levels. Part III, comprising Chapter Five only, taking the three important producer services industries (financial, logistics and R&D industry) as samples, discusses mainly their relationships between spatial concentration and regional spatial structure respectively. Firstly, it analyses the spatial form and driving factors of agglomeration of the three industries. Secondly, it discusses the driving mechanisms respectively. Finally, it analyses their similarities and differences concerning with the impacts of agglomeration of the three industries on reconstruction of the regional space. Part IV, consisting of Chapter Six and Chapter Seven, is the empirical study. Firstly, it discusses development status and evolutionary models of spatial agglomeration of the producer services in the Yangtze Delta Area. Secondly, it analyses reconstructing ways, conduct path and actual effects of agglomeration of the producer services on regional space. Finally, it analyses the practice basis, spatial form, realizing routs and strategic choices of agglomeration and rational distribution of the producer services in the Yangtze Delta Area. The last part (Part V), containing Chapter Eight, is the overall conclusion of this thesis with summaries and discussions of its prospect.The main arguments of this thesis are:i) Agglomeration of producer services in city areas exerts huge impact on development pattern of the regional space in spatial-reconstruction and has become a driving force in growth of the regional economy following a driving path as a sequent process from agglomeration of the producer services to reconstruction of the regional space to development of the regional economy, ii) Different producer services industries lead to different spatial patterns of the regional spatial structure, which has a conduct path in terms of reconstruction of the regional space, following a driving mechanism as in sequence from services industrial concentration to services industrial congregated zone to regional spatial reconstruction. Moreover, spatial agglomeration of different producer services industries leads to difference of the spatial manifestation mode, distributional pattern and regional spatial structure. iii) The basic law of agglomeration of the producer services can be reviewed at different levels, such as selective movement internationally and convergence development at the global level, concentration in the core area of cities at the regional level and congregation in core districts of the city at the city level. iv) Agglomeration of the producer services has been attributed to several driving factors, including simultaneity of service production and consumption, face-to-face contact demands and exchange, non-standard production of service products, structural change of producer service corporations, service outsourcing of the manufacture industry, local human resources and industrial development planning of the state with relevant policies et al. â…´) And also, agglomeration of the producer services has different distributional forms, such as core district, congregated and function zone and development belt et al. Spatially, they have been demonstrated and concluded as axis-ring, multi-core, net, mixed and governmental driving models at the micro-level with different causes and pathways. The impact of agglomeration of the producer services on reconstruction of the regional space has direct and indirect paths, including reconstructing spatial distribution of industries, remodeling employments and habitation space, change of the trend of transportation and modifying spatial bind of utilized land et al. The influence and function mechanism is concerned with spatial conducts of producer service corporations, spatial evolution of congregated zones and regionally spatial responses of concentration, which leads to differences at two levels:discrepancy of distribution of the service congregated zone and non-equilibrium of the space economy at the city level, and regionalism of the "service city" and formation of the "ranking city system" at regional level. â…µ) Different producer service industries have different spatial concentration patterns and consequent effects, agglomeration of the financial, logistics and R&D industries has many similarities and differences concerning with their spatial behavior, driving factors and influence and function mechanism of reconstruction of the regional space. Moreover, the analysis of spatial effects of agglomeration of producer services should not be limited to the industry as a whole, case study is necessary and important. â…¶) Agglomeration of the producer services in the Yangtze Delta Area is obvious, with different types of congregated and function zones. Spatial layout of the producer services and manufactures in this area is overlapped, spatial function of congregated zones is differentiated and function of the centralized-city is expanded. The pathway of agglomeration of the producer services on reconstruction of the regional space follows conduct paths definitely, involving reaction of the producer service corporations, producer service congregated zones and cities, which leads to different effects at the city, regional and global levels. â…´â…²) Modern industrial base needs upholding of agglomeration of the producer services, whilst construction of city group needs rational division of labor and advancement of regional integration needs rational distribution in the area. Agglomeration and rational distribution of the producer services in the Yangtze Delta Area embodies a rating development mode of industries and their spatial distribution, netting character between corporations, congregated zones and cities, and spatial integration of the industries themselves.â…°â…¹) Agglomeration development and rational distribution of the producer services in the Yangtze Delta Area are driven by both the market and local governments, adjusting and reciprocity of regional industrial structure, development and spatial optimization of services, industrial division of labor and concentrating development among cities are achieved by resource allocation of the market and, conduction and support of the governments. x) Strategic choices of agglomeration and rational distribution of the producer services in the area should be different from other industries, which links with industrial traits and distinguishes from each other, e.g. regulation and guidance strategy, division of labor strategy, cooperation and mutualism strategy, characteristic and specialized strategy, cluster strategy, global chain embedment strategy, key-point support strategy and relevant institutionally designed strategies et al. In this, it is necessary to choose the best suitable strategies and pathways by the actual situation of the area.The innovation of this thesis involves:i) Change and establishment of research perspective from the relationship between development of producer services and growth of the economy to a spatial angle. Whilst most of the previous researches on this without considering the spatial dimension, this thesis lays stress on agglomeration of the producer services and its influence on changes of the regional space. ii) Dynamics and change of the research methodology. Using relevant dynamic analysis methods (comparative analysis of the development of producer service market and congregated zone on different stages) in discussing dynamic changes of the regional spatial structure promoted by agglomeration of the producer services, which is entirely different from most of the previous relative studies with static approach prevailing in the past, this thesis combines micro with macro view, holistic-partial with theoretical-empirical approach at global, regional and city levels respectively and, meanwhile, deals with producer services enterprises, producer services industries and producer services themselves in a contrast mode. iii) Based on literature survey, case study, theoretical induction and abstraction, this thesis probes into the basic law, driving factors and essential models of agglomeration of the producer services. iv) Through detailed analysis of the basic law of agglomeration of the producer services, it illustrates the way and influence mechanism of agglomeration of the producer services on reconstruction of the regional space. And v) By case study of the overall trend, evolutionary model of agglomeration of the producer services and its influence way and conduct path on reconstruction of the regional space, it puts forward implementation routs and related strategic choices in order to promoting further agglomeration and rational distribution of the producer services in the Yangtze Delta Area.