Regionalization Theory and Practice

Thematic Report of China Geography(4)

School of Geography Beijing Normal University

Reporter: Li Xiaoxi

1. Regionalization Definition and Functions

• Regionalization is the process of dividing big regions into small regions.

• General regionalization,from the perspective of a country, is how to divide a few first level regions in the range of a country.

• Three forms of forming regions: natural shape, established by usage,administrative division and Natural formation but also recognized by the administration.

Why to Do the Regionalization ？• 1.Regionalization is the important reference for rat

ional allocation of resources in roomage. • 2.Regionalization is the presupposition of compari

ng regions.

• 3.Regionalization is a powerful tool to mobilize the administrative power to support economic development.

2. Five Elements of Regionalizaiton

1. Impersonal Basis of Regionalization:Is regionalization possible?

2.Main Body of Regionalization: Who to divide?

3.Regionalization Target: Why to divide?

4.Principle of Regionalization:under what regulation?

5. Regionalization Index: according to what specific requirement?

Element 1: Impersonal Basis of Regionalization

• Homogeneity ： According to characteristics of certain important factors or similarities in the consistency of the division, such as wheat District and corn areas in the United States. Thunen Ring is homogeneous District.

• Heterogeneity : composed of several heterogeneous parts, closely linked functions, emphasizing the relationship between each part in the region, reflecting structure, called "polarization zone" (gathered region, nub region and functional region).

Element 2 ： Main Body of Regionalization

• Function of Administrative Power:Generally divided by government.

• Case ： United States, France and Japan regionalization example :ad

ministrative divisions are not only characteristics of Planned

Economy • National Quartation: Regionalization is difficult without ad

ministrative power.

Element 3 ： Regionalization Target

• Regionalization Target decides the regionalization result.For example, divide depressed area to solve poverty problem,divide high-technology area to develop high-technology.

Element 4 ： Principle of Regionalization

• Regionalization target decides the principle of regionalization,principle effects target.

• Function Zone(industrial zone and agricultural zone and so on),integrated economic zone and poverty zone have each principle of regionalization.

Element 5 ： Regionalization Standard

• Regionalization is different according to different division standards.

• Single Standard(per capita GDP, per capita production value)

• Complex Standard(Life quality and social development)

• Discussion:Do you agree more indexes in the standard mor

e accurate regionalization?

3. Three Types of Regions

• These regions are regionalization results. Some regions are results of regionalization directly, some regions are common choice of administrative and economic power,some regions are formed by economic power.

• Division of Three Types is from economic perspective that is macro middle way and micro.

• Regional economics of our country and former east of Russia focus on country people economic regionalization, Regional economics of market economy countries focus on location,micro,market function and sometimes macro.

3.1 Macro Type （ where is large ） ＊ regional division

• National first level economic regionalization ： e.g. Three zones ； • Population Distribution in different regions （ regional labor market and inc

ome decision ）• Capital distribution in different regions• Land use in different regions＊ economic increase in regions （ sustainable increase ： energy sources and e

nvironment ， comparison of each region• Link and interactive of regions• ＊ regional policy （ include Opening-up the west ）（ Opening-up and re

gional development ）＊ Comparison between Regional difference and regional policy.

Old Trichotomy• Old Trichotomy ： division of east,middle and west econo

mic zones are called “Old Trichotomy ” for short. According to statistic data

• East zone includes nine provinces and three cities:Liaoning,Beijing,Tianjin,Hebei,Shandong,Shanghai,Jiangsu,Zhejiang,Guangdong,Guangxi,Fujian and Hainan

• Middle zone includes nine provinces(districts):Hei Longjiang,Jilin,Inner Mongolia,Shanxi,Henan,Anhui,Jiangxi,Hubei and Hunan

• West zone includes nine provinces(districts):Sinkiang,Gansu,Qinghai,Ningxia,Shanxi,Sitsang,Sichuan,Yunnan and Guizhou.

Old Trichotomy

3.2 Middle Scale Type （ where is middle ）

• Industrial Location

• Agricultural Location

• ＊ Shopping Center Location

• ＊ Drainage Basin and Economic Circle

• urban cluster （ urban circle,large and middle city,county economy and so on ）

3.3 Micro Type （ where is small ）

• ＊ Enterprise Location （ scale economy problems and location and enterprise core competitiveness ）

• ＊ Urban Economy• Living Area• Exploitation Area• Hi-Tech Area

3.4 Comparsion of Regionalization Adva

ntages and Disadvantages of China • Regionalization of China includes dichotomy,tric

hotomy,quartation, one divides into six(different forms) and one divides into seven

• Classification method from income view should link with regional continuity.

• Multi regionalizations with each reason but with its target standard.How to divide best?

• University is the place of freethinking, everyone can choose your consentient regionalization.

Regionalization 1 ： New Trichotomy

• East zone includes eight provinces and three cities:Liaoning,Beijing,Tianjin,Hebei,Shandong,Shanghai,Jiangsu,Zhejiang,Guangdong ,Fujian,and Hainan.

• Middle zone includes eight provinces(districts) Hei Longjiang,Jilin, Shanxi, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan

• West zone includes twelve provinces(districts) :Chongqing, Sinkiang,Gansu,Qinghai,Inner Mongolia,Ningxia,Shanxi,Sitsang,Sichuan,Yunnan,Guizhou and Guangxi.

New Trichotomy

Regionalization 2 ： One Divides into Six

• （ 1 ） Six Collaboration Areas ： North China Area,Northeast Area,Southeast Area, central-southern Area,Northwest Area and Southwest Area.

• （ 2)Northeast Area,Huanghe River Basin Economic Area,Changjiang River Basin Economic Area,Southern Economic Area,Sinkiang Area,Tibet Area.

• （ 3 ） Northeast Area, North China Area or Middle and the middle and lower reaches along Huanghe River Area,Central China Area or the middle and lower reaches along Yangtse River Area .

My Method:One Divides into Six

Explaination of One Divides into Six

• Northwest ： Sinkiang,Gansu,Qinghai,Ningxia and Shanxi• Southwest ： Chongqing,Yunnan,Sichuan,Guizhou,Guangxi and Tibet• Areas of Southeast of China ： Jiangsu,Zhejiang,Shanghai,Guangdong,

Fujian and Hainan.• Four Provinces of Northeast:Liaoning,Jilin,Heilongjiang,Inner Mongolia.• Areas of Central China:Henan,Hubei,Hunan,Anhui and Jiangxi.• Areas of North China:Beijing,Tianjin,Shandong,Hebei and Shanxi.

Regionalization 3 ： Seven Economic Areas of Compendium

• The Yangzi River Delta and its along region

• The Bohai Rim

• Southeast littoral

• Part provinces in Southwest and South of China

• Notheast Areas

• Five provinces in Central China

• Northwest Areas

One Divides into Seven Method in Compendium

Regionalization 4： Experts in World Bank put forward China should be divided into seven areas

• Western Area ： Sinkiang,Tibet,Qinghai,Gansu and Ningxia

• Northern:Heilongjiang,Jilin,Inner Mongolia,Shanxi and Shaanxi.

• Inland Area of Southern:Szechwan,Guihzou,Yunnan and Guangxi.

• Central China Areas: Henan, Anhui,Jiangxi,Hubei and Hunan.

• Littoral of Northern:Liaoning,Hebei(including Beijing,Tianjin and Shandong).

• Littoral of East: Jiangsu(including Shanghai), Chekiang

• Littoral of South:Fujian,Guangdong and Hainan

One Divides into Seven Method of World Bank

Regionalization and Sorts Division

• All of the above regionalizations have a basic precondition:land is continued.

• If the land is not always continued, new thoughts will appear.

• If we take the discontinuity as the natural condition of regionalization ,economic sorts can be compared without considering land continuity. Of course, sorts should be divided using standard.

Combination of Sorts Division and Regionalization:Get rid of the thinking of geography regions

• Combination of Sorts Division and Regionalization

• Sorts Division according to personal revenue and GDP per capita

• There are a few fruits about this of World Bank and National Research Organization

My Assumption

• Why to divide high,middle and low income provinces?• First, for finding disparity.• Second,for encouraging enthusiasm of low income

regions.• Third,for financial support for low income regions from

government.

Further Discussion of My Assumption

Three rules of dividing three kinds of income regions :Propose two principles from the statistic rules of data from 1978 of China

• 1.Quarter Rule:Fluctuation 25% provinces in line with the national average GDP per capita shall be divided into the middle-income areas.Higher than 125% divided into high-income areas,lower than 75% divided into low-income areas.This rule is got from provincial sequence clustering rule.

• 2. Flexible adjustment rule:Grouping should consider economy and statistics combination view.In the basis of 25%,adjust proportion according to change of actual conditions.

Classification according to GDP per capita in 2000 unit:yuan/person

Typ

e

regionGDP per capita

Typ

e

regionGDP per capita

Type

regionGDP per

capita

up

Shanghai 34547

middle

Hebei 7663

down

down

up

Chongqing

5157

Beijing 22460 Sitsang 7470 Shanxi 5137

Tianjin 17993 Hubei 7188 Qinghai 5087

Zhejiang 13461 Hainan 6894 Anhui 4867

Guangdong 12885 Jilin 6847 Jiangxi 4851

Jiangsu 11773 Inner

Mongolia 5872 Ningxia 4839

Fujian 11601 Hunan 5639 Sichuan

4784

Liaoning 11226 Henan 5444

downdown

Yunnan 4637

Shandong 9555 　 　 Sinkiang 4559

Hei Longjiang 8562 　 　 Shaanxi

4549

　 　 　 　 Guangxi

4319

　 　 　 　 Gansu 3838

　 　 　 　 Guizhou

2662

　 GDP per capita of whole country

7078

My Suggestion

• In order to analyze and solve regional disparity, we propose to combine the two methods to do classification,taking GDP per capita as outline and provincial and geographic regionalization as item.

• Suggest country plan divides regions according to national income per capita ,arrange the proposition of East,Middle,West and Minority regions into income group.For example, east coastal regions in the group of high income,middle-west regions and minority regions in the group of middle-low and low income group.

Value of this Suggestion

• Through GDP per capita,combine all kinds of regionalizations,form the steady framework structure of regional economy analysis.And give prominence to economic index.

• Convenient for meeting with international economic analysis and statistic.This method is from World Bank annual ”world development report”,which is criterion modus operandi of grouping and extend credit to each country.

Discussion Surrouding Regionalization Problems

• Do you have any regionalization assumption? And your reason?

• If let you choose living location, what elements do you consider?

• Are you interested in Regional Economics?

Note

• Regionalization is important but is complex.

• Understand your target, define your criterion.

• Regionalization:is just the beginning of Regional Economics.

Best Wishes for You!