Share:


Impact of government support policies on regional economic resilience under the COVID-19 outbreak

    Fei Fan Affiliation
    ; Zongyuan Weng Affiliation
    ; Jiahe Tian Affiliation

Abstract

Using the policy package pilot implemented in Hubei Province, China, in April 2020 as a natural experiment, we use the synthetic control (SC) and synthetic difference in differences (SDID) methods to estimate the impact of the Chinese government’s support policy on the economic resilience and to analyze the mechanisms by which it impacts. This study finds that the policy package has contributed to the growth of economic resilience in the pilot provinces, with the policy package increasing the average economic resilience of the pilot provinces by 0.062 compared to their potential resilience. The validity and robustness of the above conclusions are objectively confirmed by multidimensional quantitative outcomes such as placebo tests, ranking tests, and replacements in calculating resilience. The mechanism analysis shows that the investment in real estate development, the stimulus for consumption, and the core industry development are virtual channels for the policy package to promote economic resilience growth in the pilot provinces. Moreover, traditional investment in transportation fixed assets plays a minor role. This paper quantitatively corroborates the academic idea that government governance capacity affects regional economic resilience (RER), and research can provide empirical support for regional economic recovery and policy support under a major crisis.

Keyword : COVID-19, government support policies, regional economic resilience, policy packages, synthetic control

How to Cite
Fan, F., Weng, Z., & Tian, J. (2024). Impact of government support policies on regional economic resilience under the COVID-19 outbreak. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 30(1), 74–106. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2024.20397
Published in Issue
Jan 4, 2024
Abstract Views
732
PDF Downloads
610
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Abadie, A., & Gardeazabal, J. (2003). The economic costs of conflict: A case study of the Basque Country. American Economic Review, 93(1), 113–132. https://doi.org/10.1257/000282803321455188

Abadie, A., Diamond, A., & Hainmueller, J. (2010). Synthetic control methods for comparative case studies: Estimating the effect of California’s tobacco control program. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 105(490), 493–505. https://doi.org/10.1198/jasa.2009.ap08746

Amezcua, A. S., Grimes, M. G., Bradley, S. W., & Wiklund, J. (2013). Organizational sponsorship and founding environments: A contingency view on the survival of business-incubated firms, 1994–2007. Academy of Management Journal, 56(6), 1628–1654. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2011.0652

Ando, M. (2015). Dreams of urbanization: Quantitative case studies on the local impacts of nuclear power facilities using the synthetic control method. Journal of Urban Economics, 85, 68–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2014.10.005

Ansar, A., Flyvbjerg, B., Budzier, A., & Lunn, D. (2016). Does infrastructure investment lead to economic growth or economic fragility? Evidence from China. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 32(3), 360–390. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/grw022

Arkhangelsky, D., Athey, S., Hirshberg, D. A., Imbens, G. W., & Wager, S. (2021). Synthetic difference-in-differences. American Economic Review, 111(12), 4088–4118. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20190159

Arnold, J. M., Brys, B., Heady, C., Johansson, Å., Schwellnus, C., & Vartia, L. (2011). Tax policy for economic recovery and growth. The Economic Journal, 121(550), F59–F80. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2010.02415.x

Bachmann, R., Born, B., Goldfayn-Frank, O., Kocharkov, G., Luetticke, R., & Weber, M. (2021). A temporary vat cut as unconventional fiscal policy (No. w29442). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w29442

Baxter, M., & King, R. G. (1993). Fiscal policy in general equilibrium. The American Economic Review, 83(3), 315–334. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2117521

Bi, M. (2023). Impact of COVID-19 on environmental regulation and economic growth in China: A Way forward for green economic recovery. Economic Analysis and Policy, 77, 1001–1015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2022.12.015

Bonander, C., Jakobsson, N., Podestà, F., & Svensson, M. (2016). Universities as engines for regional growth? Using the synthetic control method to analyze the effects of research universities. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 60, 198–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2016.07.008

Boschma, R. (2015). Towards an evolutionary perspective on regional resilience. Regional Studies, 49(5), 733–751. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2014.959481

Brada, J. C., Gajewski, P., & Kutan, A. M. (2021). Economic resiliency and recovery, lessons from the financial crisis for the COVID-19 pandemic: A regional perspective from Central and Eastern Europe. International Review of Financial Analysis, 74, Article 101658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2021.101658

Brainard, W. C. (1967). Uncertainty and the Effectiveness of Policy. The American Economic Review, 57(2), 411–425. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1821642

Briguglio, L., Cordina, G., Farrugia, N., & Vella, S. (2009). Economic vulnerability and resilience: Concepts and measurements. Oxford Development Studies, 37(3), 229–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600810903089893

Bristow, G., & Healy, A. (2014). Regional resilience: an agency perspective. Regional studies, 48(5), 923–935. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2013.854879

Bulte, E., Xu, L., & Zhang, X. (2018). Post-disaster aid and development of the manufacturing sector: Lessons from a natural experiment in China. European Economic Review, 101, 441–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2017.10.019

Carroll, C., Slacalek, J., Tokuoka, K., & White, M. N. (2017). The distribution of wealth and the marginal propensity to consume. Quantitative Economics, 8(3), 977–1020. https://doi.org/10.3982/qe694

Chacon-Hurtado, D., Kumar, I., Gkritza, K., Fricker, J. D., & Beaulieu, L. J. (2020). The role of transportation accessibility in regional economic resilience. Journal of Transport Geography, 84, Article 102695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102695

Chapman, L. (2007). Transport and climate change: A review. Journal of Transport Geography, 15(5), 354–367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2006.11.008

Chen, J., Guo, F., & Zhu, A. (2011). The housing-led growth hypothesis revisited: evidence from the Chinese provincial panel data. Urban Studies, 48(10), 2049–2067. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098010379281

Chen, Y. (2008). Research on new Keynesian Phillips curve in China. Economic Research Journal, 12, 50–64. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.2095-607X.2015.04.006

Chen, Y., Li, K., & Zhou, Q. (2023). Spatial differentiation of urban economic resilience and its influencing factors: Evidence from Baidu migration big data. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 29(2), 353–381. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2023.17869

Chetty, R., Friedman, J. N., Hendren, N., Stepner, M., & The Opportunity Insights Team. (2020). How did COVID-19 and stabilization policies affect spending and employment? A new real-time economic tracker based on private sector data (Vol. 91, pp. 1689–1699). National Bureau of Economic Research.

Christopherson, S., Michie, J., & Tyler, P. (2010). Regional resilience: theoretical and empirical perspectives. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 3(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsq004

Cynamon, B. Z., & Fazzari, S. M. (2016). Inequality, the Great Recession and slow recovery. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 40(2), 373–399. https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/bev016

Davies, S. (2011). Regional resilience in the 2008–2010 downturn: comparative evidence from European countries. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 4(3), 369–382. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsr019

Devereux, M. P., Güçeri, İ., Simmler, M., & Tam, E. H. (2020). Discretionary fiscal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 36(Supplement_1), S225–S241. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/graa019

Doerr, L., Dorn, F., Gaebler, S., & Potrafke, N. (2020). How new airport infrastructure promotes tourism: Evidence from a synthetic control approach in German regions. Regional Studies, 54(10), 1402–1412. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2020.1714022

Doran, J., & Fingleton, B. (2018). US metropolitan area resilience: insights from dynamic spatial panel estimation. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 50(1), 111–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0308518X17736067

Duan, H., Wang, S., & Yang, C. (2020). Coronavirus: limit short-term economic damage. Nature, 578(7796), 515–516. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00522-6

Eggertsson, G. B. (2008). Great Expectations and the End of the Depression. American Economic Review, 98(4), 1476–1516. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.98.4.1476

Engström, G., Gars, J., Jaakkola, N., Lindahl, T., Spiro, D., & van Benthem, A. A. (2020). What policies address both the coronavirus crisis and the climate crisis?. Environmental and Resource Economics, 76, 789–810. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-020-00451-y

Giannakis, E., & Bruggeman, A. (2017). Economic crisis and regional resilience: Evidence from Greece. Papers in Regional Science, 96(3), 451–476. https://doi.org/10.1111/pirs.12206

Guerrieri, V., Lorenzoni, G., Straub, L., & Werning, I. (2022). Macroeconomic implications of COVID-19: Can negative supply shocks cause demand shortages?. American Economic Review, 112(5), 1437–1474. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20201063

Guo, Y., & Zhang, H. (2022). Spillovers of innovation subsidies on regional industry growth: Evidence from China. Economic Modelling, 112, Article 105869. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2022.105869

Hale, T., Angrist, N., Goldszmidt, R., Kira, B., Petherick, A., Phillips, T., Webster, S., Cameron-Blake, E., Hallas, L., Majumdar, S., & Tatlow, H. (2021). A global panel database of pandemic policies (Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker). Nature Human Behaviour, 5(4), 529–538. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01079-8

Hepburn, C., O’Callaghan, B., Stern, N., Stiglitz, J., & Zenghelis, D. (2020). Will COVID-19 fiscal recovery packages accelerate or retard progress on climate change?. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 36(Supplement_1), S359–S381. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxrep/graa015

Hu, X., Li, L., & Dong, K. (2022). What matters for regional economic resilience amid COVID-19? Evidence from cities in Northeast China. Cities, 120, Article 103440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103440

Inoue, A., & Rossi, B. (2019). The effects of conventional and unconventional monetary policy on exchange rates. Journal of International Economics, 118, 419–447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinteco.2019.01.015

Jerch, R., Kahn, M. E., & Lin, G. C. (2023). Local public finance dynamics and hurricane shocks. Journal of Urban Economics, 134, Article 103516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2022.103516

Jessop, B. (2006). Spatial fixes, temporal fixes and spatio-temporal fixes. Blackwell Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470773581.ch8

Jia, J., Liang, X., & Ma, G. (2021). Political hierarchy and regional economic development: Evidence from a spatial discontinuity in China. Journal of Public Economics, 194, Article 104352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104352

Jiang, D., Li, W., Yu, J., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Do governmental policy interventions help urban economic recovery? Experimental evidence from China’s provinces governance amid the COVID‐19 pandemic. Growth & Change, 54(2), 507–528. https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12661

Johnson, M. R. (2019). Inclusion and exclusion in the digital economy: Disability and mental health as a live streamer on Twitch. tv. Information, Communication & Society, 22(4), 506–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1476575

Karim, M. R., Islam, M. T., & Talukder, B. (2020). COVID-19’ s impacts on migrant workers from Bangladesh: In search of policy intervention. World Development, 136, Article 105123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105123

Kim, S., Koh, K., & Zhang, X. (2022). Short‐term impact of COVID‐19 on consumption spending and its underlying mechanisms: Evidence from Singapore. Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue Canadienne D’économique, 55, 115–134. https://doi.org/10.1111/caje.12538

Liu, Q., Shen, Q., Li, Z., & Chen, S. (2021). Stimulating consumption at low budget: Evidence from a large-scale policy experiment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Management Science, 67(12), 7291–7307. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.4119

Liu, Y., Zhang, Y., Fang, H., & Chen, X. (2022). SMEs’ line of credit under the COVID-19: evidence from China. Small Business Economics, 58, 807–828. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-021-00474-9

Loayza, N., & Pennings, S. M. (2020). Macroeconomic policy in the time of COVID-19: A primer for developing countries. World Bank Research and Policy Briefs, 28, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1596/33540

Mai, X., Zhan, C., & Chan, R. C. (2021). The nexus between (re) production of space and economic resilience: An analysis of Chinese cities. Habitat International, 109, Article 102326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2021.102326

Makin, A. J., & Layton, A. (2021). The global fiscal response to COVID-19: Risks and repercussions. Economic Analysis and Policy, 69, 340–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2020.12.016

Martin, R. (2012). Regional economic resilience, hysteresis and recessionary shocks. Journal of Economic Geography, 12(1), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbr019

Martin, R., & Gardiner, B. (2019). The resilience of cities to economic shocks: A tale of four recessions (and the challenge of Brexit). Papers in Regional Science, 98(4), 1801–1832. https://doi.org/10.1111/pirs.12430

Martin, R., & Sunley, P. (2015). On the notion of regional economic resilience: conceptualization and explanation. Journal of Economic Geography, 15(1), 1–42. https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbu015

Martin, R., & Sunley, P. (2020). Regional economic resilience: Evolution and evaluation. In G. Bristow & A. Healey (Eds.), Handbook on regional economic resilience (pp. 10–35). Edward Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781785360862.00007

Martin, R., Sunley, P., & Tyler, P. (2015). Local growth evolutions: recession, resilience and recovery. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 8(2), 141–148. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsv012

Martin, R., Sunley, P., Gardiner, B., & Tyler, P. (2016). How regions react to recessions: Resilience and the role of economic structure. Regional Studies, 50(4), 561–585. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2015.1136410

McCartney, G., Pinto, J., & Liu, M. (2021). City resilience and recovery from COVID-19: The case of Macao. Cities, 112, Article 103130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103130

Mei, C. (2020). Policy style, consistency and the effectiveness of the policy mix in China’s fight against COVID-19. Policy and Society, 39(3), 309–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/14494035.2020.1787627

Mishkin, F. S. (2009). Is monetary policy effective during financial crises?. American Economic Review, 99(2), 573–577. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.99.2.573

Murphy, K. M., Shleifer, A., & Vishny, R. W. (1989). Industrialization and the big push. Journal of Political Economy, 97(5), 1003–1026. https://doi.org/10.1086/261641

Neffke, F., Henning, M., & Boschma, R. (2011). How do regions diversify over time? Industry relatedness and the development of new growth paths in regions. Economic Geography, 87(3), 237–265. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-8287.2011.01121.x

Peneder, M. (2003). Industrial structure and aggregate growth. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 14(4), 427–448. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0954-349X(02)00052-8

Pradhan, R. P., Arvin, M. B., & Nair, M. (2021). Urbanization, transportation infrastructure, ICT, and economic growth: A temporal causal analysis. Cities, 115, Article 103213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103213

Romer, C. D., & Romer, D. H. (2022). A social insurance perspective on pandemic fiscal policy: Implications for unemployment insurance and hazard pay. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 36(2), 3–28. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.36.2.3

Samila, S., & Sorenson, O. (2011). Venture capital, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 93(1), 338–349. https://doi.org/10.1162/REST_a_00066

Shen, Y., Shen, M., & Chen, Q. (2016). Measurement of the new economy in China: Big data approach. China Economic Journal, 9(3), 304–316. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538963.2016.1211384

Shi, T., Qiao, Y., Zhou, Q., & Zhang, J. (2022). The regional differences and random convergence of urban resilience in China. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 28(4), 979–1002. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2022.16721

Simmie, J., & Martin, R. (2010). The economic resilience of regions: Towards an evolutionary approach. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 3(1), 27–43. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsp029

Song, L., & Zhou, Y. (2020). The COVID‐19 pandemic and its impact on the global economy: What does it take to turn crisis into opportunity?. China & World Economy, 28(4), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/cwe.12349

Tan, J., Hu, X., Hassink, R., & Ni, J. (2020). Industrial structure or agency: What affects regional economic resilience? Evidence from resource-based cities in China. Cities, 106, Article 102906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102906

Thornton, J. (2007). Fiscal decentralization and economic growth reconsidered. Journal of Urban Economics, 61(1), 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2006.06.001

Wang, X., Wang, L., Zhang, X., & Fan, F. (2022). The spatiotemporal evolution of COVID-19 in China and its impact on urban economic resilience. China Economic Review, 74, Article 101806. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2022.101806

Wang, Y., Wang, X., Zhang, Z., Cui, Z., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Role of fiscal and monetary policies for economic recovery in China. Economic Analysis and Policy, 77, 51–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2022.10.011

Webber, D. J., Healy, A., & Bristow, G. (2018). Regional growth paths and resilience: A European analysis. Economic Geography, 94(4), 355–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/00130095.2017.1419057

Weng, Z., Fan, F., Yang, B., & Zhang, H. (2023). Regional differences and drivers of patent transfer-in between Chinese cities: A city absorptive capacity perspective. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2023.2242509

Wright, A. L., Sonin, K., Driscoll, J., & Wilson, J. (2020). Poverty and economic dislocation reduce compliance with COVID-19 shelter-in-place protocols. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 180, 544–554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.10.008

Wu, J., Gyourko, J., & Deng, Y. (2015). Real estate collateral value and investment: The case of China. Journal of Urban Economics, 86, 43–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jue.2014.12.006

Xu, C. (2011). The fundamental institutions of China’s reforms and development. Journal of Economic Literature, 49(4), 1076–1151. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.49.4.1076