| Big data as a new type of production factor has become an important symbol for shaping national competitiveness and an important driving force for socio-economic development.In view of the huge development potential and broad application prospects of big data,since2015,China has established eight national-level big data comprehensive pilot areas in Guizhou,Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei,the Pearl River Delta,Shanghai,Henan,Chongqing,Inner Mongolia and Shenyang,giving full play to the policy benefits of the establishment of national-level big data comprehensive pilot areas and promoting the demonstration and leading role of the pilot areas on regional economic growth will certainly help promote China’s new This will certainly help to promote the overall economic growth and sustainable development of China in the new era.The National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot area is an important region-based policy and institutional arrangement,and its hosts can effectively drive regional economic development as a regional growth pole.This paper views the establishment of national big data comprehensive pilot areas as a policy experiment implemented by the state for some provinces(cities)at different times,focuses on the core issue of the relationship between the establishment of national big data comprehensive pilot areas and the economic growth of cities within the pilot areas,and elaborates on the possible impact of cities being included in the pilot areas on economic growth from policy experiment theory and growth pole theory and puts forward the research hypothesis of this paper,based on Based on panel data on the socio-economic development of cities at the prefecture level and above belonging to eight batches of big data pilot areas in China from 2015 and 2016,the paper uses the multi-period double-difference method to empirically test the impact of being included in the pilot areas on the economic growth of cities.This paper uses a multi-period double difference approach to empirically test the impact of being included in the pilot area on the economic growth of cities,and to examine the possible differential policy effects caused by the heterogeneous characteristics of cities,and to identify the conditions for the establishment of the pilot area to be effective.The results of a qualitative and quantitative study on the impact of ’city inclusion in the pilot area’ on urban economic growth over the sample period of this paper show that city inclusion in the pilot area has a positive effect on urban economic growth,with an upward and then downward trend;the heterogeneity of the policy effects shows that by region,being included in the scope of the pilot area has a more pronounced effect on the economic growth of cities in the eastern region,with a less pronounced effect on the central-western and northeastern regions;in terms of the administrative level attributes of cities,cities at lower administrative levels have gained more significant development from the construction of the pilot area compared to cities at higher administrative levels.Considering the types of pilot areas to which the cities belong,the economic growth of cities within the pilot areas of the regional demonstration category and the cross-regional category is positively promoted,while the construction of pilot areas of the regional integrated category and the infrastructure co-ordination category does not significantly promote the economic growth of cities within the pilot areas.Based on the findings of this paper,the paper concludes with corresponding suggestions for countermeasures and future research prospects. |
