Regional Economics (Second Edition)

Author: Hao Shouyi / An Huxen, Editors
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: This book argues that a region is not a haphazard aggregation of numerous things and phenomena, but an organic whole composed of a network structure. The essence of a region is its structure. This structure is not pre-existing but gradually forms and evolves over time. This process of structure formation is also the process of regional formation. Of course, the degree of structural development varies greatly among different regions. Understanding the structural characteristics of a region is key to constructing regional economy. This book holds that once a region is formed, it begins its life cycle, with economic development as its main thread. All processes within the region are interconnected around this main thread. These processes include both temporal dimensions such as regional economic growth, industrial structure evolution, and interregional division of labor and links, as well as spatial dimensions such as the evolution of regional spatial-territorial structure. This book studies the urban-rural fringe area as an organizational unit of regional space and proposes, based on the traditional dual structure, that a region encompasses urban economy, urban-rural economy, fringe area economy, and rural economy. It emphasizes the inseparable integrity and interconnectedness among cities, urban-rural fringes, and rural areas, thereby forming a regional economics that covers the entire regional space.