The role of the port industry in China's national economy: An input–output analysis

Abstract

Over the past 30 years, China's port industry has developed by leaps and bounds. According to input–output (IO) analysis, this study considers the port industry as exogenous and assesses its economic impacts. Specifically, the industry linkage effect, the production-inducing effect, the sectoral supply shortage effect, and the employment-inducing effect are presented over the period 1987–2012. These models are effective to quantify the direct and indirect contribution of China's port industry and to analyse the ports' evolution over time. Finally, policy applications within China's port industry of input–output analysis are outlined.