Factors Influencing Participation in Bilateral Interprovincial Agreements: Evidence from China’s Pan Pearl River Delta

Abstract

China’s provincial governments increasingly participate in interprovincial agreements (IPAs) to address regional policy problems. Nevertheless, limited research investigates the determinants of a province’s propensity to engage in bilateral agreements with another province. This article uses network data and employs network regressions to investigate this question in the context of China’s Pan Pearl River Delta (PPRD) regional network governance. We assess the factors that influence participation of bilateral IPAs among PPRD members. Our findings provide evidence that interprovincial participation in bilateral agreements spanning seven policy domains is driven by geographic proximity, economic and political statuses, institutional similarity, and cross-province leadership posting.