The effect of industrial relocation on industrial land use efficiency in China: A spatial econometrics approach

Abstract

The variation of industrial land use efficiency caused by industrial relocation is of great significance to the land use, but little attention has been paid to the spatial effect of industrial relocation on industrial land use efficiency. This study investigates the temporal features of industrial land use efficiency at the regional level and the spatial features of industrial relocation at the provincial level. The industrial land use efficiency exhibits an obvious rising trend in the eastern region, central region, western region and northeast region from 2002 to 2013. There is significant spatial correlation among 30 provinces in industrial land use efficiency and shows obvious trapezoidal growth trends in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2013. The study estimates the spatial effect of industrial relocation on the industrial land use efficiency in six industries by the spatial Durbin model (SDM). The results show that the industrial relocation of the chemical and rubber industry, mineral manufacturing industry, and machinery manufacturing industry plays a markedly positive role in improving the industrial land use efficiency. It is noteworthy that the impacts of industrial relocation on the industrial land use efficiency in the food and beverage industry, light and textile industry, and high-tech manufacturing industry are not significant. Except for the enterprise ownership structure, three other control variables, namely regional economic development, human capital stock, and industrial fixed capital, can contribute to promoting industrial land use efficiency.