arbiter
JournalsPricingAccount

Geographically Heterogeneous Spatial Inequality in the People’s Republic of China: A Luminosity-Based Analysis of Prefectural Cities and Counties

Yilin Chen

Asian Development Review2025https://doi.org/10.1142/s0116110525400086article
ABDC C
Weight
0.50

What the paper says

This study examines regional income and inequality in the People’s Republic of China from 2001 to 2020 using high-quality nighttime light (NTL) data to help proxy for the gross domestic product (GDP). The NTL-based dataset for 332 Chinese prefectural cities and 2,813 county-level units that integrates GDP with luminosity measurements reveals three key facts: (i) Inequality derived from luminosity-based GDP data aligns more closely with the official GDP-based inequality trends, showing no clear downward trend, unlike the luminosity data alone; (ii) spatial dependence significantly influences patterns of economic development and economic disparities; and (iii) there is a geographic heterogeneity in spatial spillovers, with stronger agglomeration effects only in coastal areas where these effects promote economic development and reduce inequality. These insights highlight the varied impacts of regional development strategies for achieving common prosperity in the People’s Republic of China’s coastal, central, western, and northeastern regions.

6 citations

Open paper page →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1142/s0116110525400086

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{yilin2025,
  title        = {{Geographically Heterogeneous Spatial Inequality in the People’s Republic of China: A Luminosity-Based Analysis of Prefectural Cities and Counties}},
  author       = {Yilin Chen},
  journal      = {Asian Development Review},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1142/s0116110525400086},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

Geographically Heterogeneous Spatial Inequality in the People’s Republic of China: A Luminosity-Based Analysis of Prefectural Cities and Counties

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.44 × 0.4 = 0.18
M · momentum0.65 × 0.15 = 0.10
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.