Measuring the Inclusive Growth of China’s Coastal Regions

Abstract

Inclusive growth captures the need to alleviate the problems of global income disparity and poverty, particularly in Asia. The study’s goal is to construct an indicator system that measures the inclusive growth of 11 coastal provinces and cities in China from five aspects, namely, survival, capacity, development, freedom, and opportunity, examining the area from 2000 to 2015. The system is based on Bossel’s basic orientor indicator framework. Dynamic changes in overall levels in the five fields are investigated and spatial differences calculated using the Gini coefficient. Among the provinces, Guangxi shows the strongest survival conditions, giving it an advantage over other regions. Shanghai has the highest level of capacity and freedom. Guangdong has the strongest development momentum, but this appears to be weakening. Finally, Shandong shows many more social opportunities. The study suggests that inclusive growth in the area has increased as a result of the area’s rapid development, but the growth rates remain low. The level of inclusive growth shows a large gap across the regions. Gini coefficient differences show that the eastern coastal areas have strong development trends, whereas the northern and southern coastal areas show weaker ones. We also offer suggestions on how to promote inclusive growth in these regions.