Regional Inequality, Spatial Polarization and Place Mobility in Provincial China: A Case Study of Jiangsu Province
Published in Applied Geography, 2020
Core contribution: This article reframes regional inequality as a multi-scale, multi-dimensional spatial process. It shows that declining inequality indices can coexist with persistent spatial polarization, low place mobility, and core-periphery lock-in.
Highlights
- Separates regional inequality, spatial polarization, and place mobility as distinct but linked dimensions.
- Shows that inequality and polarization can follow different trajectories across development periods.
- Finds that strong accumulated cores reduce place mobility and stabilize core-periphery hierarchy.
- Calls for multi-scale governance that addresses spatial exclusion, mobility, and persistent regional hierarchy.
核心贡献: 本文将区域不平等重新理解为多尺度、多维度的空间过程,指出传统不平等指数下降并不必然意味着空间机会更加开放;空间极化、地方流动性不足和核心-边缘锁定仍可能持续存在。
核心亮点
- 将区域不平等、空间极化和地方流动性区分为相互关联但并不等同的维度。
- 指出不平等与空间极化可能在不同发展阶段呈现不同轨迹。
- 发现强势核心地区的累积优势会降低地方流动性,并固化核心-边缘等级结构。
- 主张通过多尺度治理同时处理空间排斥、地方流动性和持续性的区域等级差异。

