Abstract
Vulnerability theory is a fundamental scientific knowledge system in sustainable development, and vulnerability assessment is important in vulnerability studies. Economic vulnerability affects economic growth sustainability. Comprehensive assessment of economic vulnerability in the process of economic growth under the theoretical framework of vulnerability will provide a new perspective for vulnerability studies. Based on a vulnerability scoping diagram assessment model, this study selected 22 economic sensitivity indexes and 25 economic adaptability indexes from the economic, social, and nature–resource–environmental subsystems to comprehensively assess and spatially analyse the vulnerability of China’s provincial economies since the year 2000, while applying the entropy method, multilevel extension assessment, spatial measurement method, and geographic information system technology. The results showed the following: (1) There are great differences in the vulnerability of China’s provincial economies. Western China’s vulnerability is higher and the fluctuation range of economic vulnerability is larger. The vulnerability increased significantly based on spatial differential features; (2) Regional differences in economic vulnerability, mainly caused by differences within a region, increased gradually. Eastern and Western China showed the spatial pattern characteristics of prominent and reinforcing regional imbalance, while Central and Northeast China showed declining regional imbalance. The spatial structure evolution of economic vulnerability is characterized by a volatility curve, and regional separation and divergence are strengthened; (3) Growth of China’s provincial economies and economic vulnerability are related negatively. In Eastern, Central, and Northeast China, vulnerability of the provincial economies has a negative spillover effect on neighbouring provinces’ economic growth, while in Western China it has a slight positive spillover effect.
Highlights
IntroductionAs vulnerability research is constantly being enriched, its scope has expanded to include natural disaster vulnerability, ecosystem vulnerability, groundwater system vulnerability, regional development system vulnerability, social vulnerability, and poverty vulnerability [1]
Vulnerability studies are mainly confined to geosciences
After reviewing the related literature, this paper argues that economic sensitivity is the mechanism of interactions among economic subsystems, social subsystems, and nature–resource–environmental subsystems in the process of sustainable economic development, which is characterized by the degree of impact and response of each subsystem to internal and external factor changes; it is a function of economic vulnerability [8,9,49,50,51]
Summary
As vulnerability research is constantly being enriched, its scope has expanded to include natural disaster vulnerability, ecosystem vulnerability, groundwater system vulnerability, regional development system vulnerability, social vulnerability, and poverty vulnerability [1]. Multiple academic disciplines, such as geography, economics, ecology, sociology, management science, engineering science, and political science, have become the top concerns of vulnerability studies [2]. Vulnerability studies are considered a fundamental system of scientific knowledge aiming to analyse the degree, mechanism, and process of human–earth interaction, as well as regional sustainable development [5]. The concept of vulnerability initially began as a dual structure of sensitivity and coping capability, but it has expanded into a multi-structured, conceptual collection of multiple elements, including sensitivity, coping capability, degree of exposure, and adaptability [8]
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