Cross-Boundary Integration Of A Twin City:A Case Study Of Linping And Haining

The deepening process of globalization,informatization,decentralization and regionalization brings about increasing economic,cultural,and political links across boundaries.As a consequence,boundaries have reduced barrier functions and Cross-Border Regions(CBRs)have been shifted from a periphery position of state territory to a more prominent position in the global-local network.Western scholars have carries out in-depth empirical and theoretical study about CBRs,and established a multi-dimensional analysis framework of cross-border studies.From the perspective of "twin-city",this paper takes a close look at the cross-boundary area of Linping and Haining,and carries out empirical research about cross-boundary integration from the following perspectives,physical integration,social integration,organizational and institutional integration.The case study reveals that,with a long history of social interaction in the past,the cooperation between Linping and Haining has become much closer when different levels of governments are involved in inter-city cooperation in recent years.As a typical twin city,cross-boundary integration of Linping-Haining involves four dimensions,i.e.,physical integration,social integration,organizational and institutional integration.It is found that with large-scale development and connected roads and public transport systems,Linping-Haining twin city enjoys a high level of physical integration.Apart from that,according to the survey,residents of the two cities have considerable cross-boundary contacts in working,service and other daily activities,indicating a close link in behavioral integration.Unlike physical and behavioral integration,however,it is revealed that organizational and institutional integration lagged significantly behind in Linping-Haining twin city.The fragmented political context and immature institutional environment could be the main reason to this phenomenon.This thesis consists of seven chapters,and following are the main contents of each chapter.Chapter One:Introduction.In this chapter,the research background,research objective and questions,research methods,and the framework of this thesis is clarified.Chapter Two:Framework of Cross-boundary Twin City.In this chapter,correlative literature both home and abroad are introduced,especially empirical and theoretical study about cross-boundary twin cities.Chapter Three:Research Area.Basic information about Linping and Haining and a review of cross-boundary development in the Linping-Haining region is presented in this chapter.Chapter Four:Physical Integration of Linping-Haining Twin City.This chapter mainly focuses on physical integration of Linping-Haining twin city,such as border land use and trans-boundary transportation.Chapter Five:Social Integration of Linping-Haining Twin City-This chapter mainly focuses on social integration of Linping-Haining twin city,such as trans-boundary behavior,sharing of resources and building of common identity.Chapter Six:Organizational and Institutional Integration of Linping-Haining Twin City.This chapter mainly focuses on organizational and institutional integration of Linping-Haining twin city,such as trans-boundary industrial links,non-profit organizations and multilevel governance under fragmented political context.Chapter Seven:Conclusion.Major conclusions and directions for further research in cross-border issues are summarized in this chapter.The whole thesis contains about 42 000 words,33 pictures and charts.