Evoluiton Of Spatial Pattern Of Foreign Enterpirses And Changes In Urban Network System: A Case Of Shandong Province

Since the1990s, economic globalization has been affecting the global economic,social and spatial landscapes at an unprecedented rate, depth, and breadth. Economicglobalization force represented by foreign investment has made a significant impact onregional economic and social process, which is reflected in the continuous evolution ofthe urban and regional spatial pattern. Located in the eastern coast, Shandong Provincewas one of the main foreign capital inflow areas in China. These foreign investmentsplayan increasingly important role in the urban and regional development in ShandongProvince, and have become a new factor affecting the urban and regional economicspatial pattern. Based on the above background, it is necessary to study the influenceof foreign investment in the evolution of spatial pattern in Shandong Province and itsurban system.With Shandong Province as the research scope, this paper comprehensivelyapplies the disciplinary theories and methods like regional economic geography, urbangeography, econometrics, GIS and social network, studies the evolution of spatialpattern of foreign-funded enterprises in Shandong Province, utilizes the econometricmodel to assess the two sets of impact factors in the location choice of the foreignenterprises, and adopts the social network theory and method to study the structuralcharacteristics of the urban network system. This paper is divided into five chapters:ChapterⅠ: domestic and foreign research progress and basic theory. This partcombsthedomesticand foreignresearchprogress frominternational investment theory,location choice of foreign investment, impacts of the foreign investment on theinvestment locations, and foreign investment of service sector and other aspects; andelaborates a new international division of labor theory, location theory, theory ofeconomic and geographical movement, regional and spatial structure theory and otherbasic theories which provide theoretical support for later empirical research.Chapter Ⅱ: macro background for development ofthe foreign-funded enterprises.This part is mainly to retrospect the major changes in policies and systems, economicdevelopment and other aspects of Shandong Province since the reform and opening up,to provide the macro background for understanding the location choice and theevolution of spatial pattern of the foreign enterprises. Among them, the policy ofopening to the outside world, market-oriented reforms and decentralization, and industrial structure adjustment are the most relevant to the development of foreign-funded enterprises.Chapter Ⅲ: evolution of spatial pattern of the foreign-funded enterprises. On thebasis of analysis of spatial and temporal distribution of foreign enterprises in ShandongProvince, this part analyzes the evolution of the spatial pattern of foreign-fundedenterprises through the integrated use of spatial analysis of GIS and spatial statisticalmethods, and identifies the evolution of the “hot spots” of the foreign companies of themanufacturing and services industry. This part also uses the variogram to analyze thespatial heterogeneity in the distribution of foreign-funded enterprises, and analyzes theimpact of random factors and structural factors on the spatial distribution of foreign-funded.Chapter Ⅳ: district contributing factors of foreign-funded enterprises. Based onthe neoclassical enterprise location theory, this part uses multiple regression equationto assess the location factors which have impact on the spatial distribution of foreignenterprises. During the study, through the spatial heterogeneity variables andagglomeration economies variables these two sets of location factors, the spatialdistribution pattern of different industries is explained, and the different effect of theinnate attributes role and acquired attributes role in enterprise location choice isdistinguished.Chapter Ⅴ: the impact of foreign enterprises on the urban system. Based on theinvestment enterprise dataofthe world’s top500enterprises inShandong Province, thispart builds the urban network based on enterprise contact. It makes use of socialnetwork analysis to study the structure and characteristics of the urban network systemin Shandong Province from three angles of the centricity, central core-peripherystructure, and factional structure. Selecting indicators from the three aspects of theeconomic development, marketization, and system, makes use of multiple linearregressions to analyze the factors affecting urban network development.