Impact of marine industrial agglomeration on high-quality marine economic development: the mediating effect of knowledge spillover

Abstract

Industrial agglomeration significantly influences economic development; however, its impact on high-quality economic growth within the marine industry remains understudied. We conducted a study using panel data from 11 coastal provinces in China (2008–2020) and used the entropy method to quantify high-quality marine economic development (HQMED). Our study meticulously examines the direct, mediating, and nonlinear effects of marine industrial agglomeration (MIA) on HQMED. The key findings include the following: (1) There is a steady HQMED growth and reduced interprovincial gaps. (2) MIA significantly enhances local HQMED and leads to positive spatial spillover to adjacent regions. (3) The analysis of the mediating effect highlights the pivotal role of knowledge spillover in MIA’s influence on HQMED. (4) Threshold analysis shows significant MIA effects on local and neighboring HQMED using knowledge spillover as a threshold variable. The study’s findings hold theoretical and practical significance and guide MIA’s role in fostering sustainable marine economic development in China.