| Description |
Three decades of economic reforms and open door policies have made China the second largest recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). China's FDI attraction strategies merit a closer look. To fully understand the significance of FDI attraction strategies in China, distributional patterns and locational determinants need to be investigated to explain the nature, dynamics, and mechanisms of FDI. This dissertation models locational causes and regional effects of FDI in China. It examines the multiscalar spatial-temporal distribution of FDI, and analyzes locational determinants of FDI at interregional, intraregional, intercity, and intracity levels. The research also addresses dynamic processes of FDI, and assesses and evaluates the effectiveness of policy implementation strategies towards FDI locations. A case study of the Wuhan metropolitan area is conducted to explore the intrametropolitan pattern of FDI, highlighting locational factors and processes within an inland metropolitan area. Such econometrical, statistical, and GIS methods as Moran's I and Getis-Ord G, space-time permutation model, geographically weighted regression (GWR), and logistical regression are used to investigate and analyze the dynamic processes in a hierarchical structure. The results indicate that at the interregional level, the eastern/coastal region dominated FDI and FDI had spread from Guangdong to the Pan-Yangtze River Delta and the Bohai Rim Region. Institution is the most influential to Guangdong, transportation is the most influential to the Pan-YRD, and agglomeration influences the BRR the most. In addition, the results at the intercity level indicate that relative gaps among the eastern/coastal region and another two regions, the central and western regions, are narrowing, though absolute gaps among them are widening. FDI clusters had a trend of spreading from eastern/coastal cities to central and western cites. The significance of market size and transportation infrastructure, and the increasing importance of agglomeration effects were identified in the regression model. Last, the results of the case study indicate that FDI in Wuhan is centralized on the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, a national development zone. FDI in Wuhan is a result of interaction among institution, urban structure, and accessibility. This study contributes to the literature on development theory, location theory, and globalization theory. |
