Role of high-speed rail on social fixed assets investments in China

Abstract

ABSTRACTRapid development of high-speed rail (HSR) in the past decade has a tremendous boosting effect on China’s economy and society. Under the ‘New normal’, HSR provides an important physical space for the steady expansion of the national economy. This paper uses a panel dataset comprising 285 prefecture-level cities in 2010–2016 to establish an investment measurement model and estimate the impact of HSR on social fixed assets investment. It also uses the difference-in-difference and propensity score matching tests to verify the results. Two important findings arise from the empirical analyses: (1) HSR development significantly stimulates China’s social fixed assets investment, foreign direct investment and real estate investment; and (2) HSR investment does not substitute for investments in other industries, instead, it supplements them. These findings provide strong theoretical and empirical support for China’s long-term HSR development strategy.