The free trade zone is a test field of China for a new round of reform and opening up in the context of dual circulation of domestic and international markets.The institutional innovation and all-round reform it brings are of great significance for driving high-quality economic development.With the establishment of pilot free trade zones as the quasi-natural experiment scenario,the impact of the establishment of free trade zones on high-quality economic development is systematically investigated based on the provincial panel data from 2000 to 2021.The study finds that the establishment of free trade zones significantly promotes high-quality economic development,and this conclusion is still valid after the robustness test.In terms of mechanism,the establishment of free trade zones affects the high-quality and quantitative economic development through three internal paths:trade effect,investment effect,and innovation effect.A heterogeneity analysis finds that the effect of high-quality economic development caused by free trade zone construction is heterogeneous among provinces with different establishment batches and regional characteristics,and there is a clear preference for provinces with early establishment batches and inland areas.An expansion analysis finds that the construction of free trade zones promotes the high-quality economic development of neighboring regions through the spatial spillover effect.Theoretically,the research conclusions provide a new perspective for exploring a new path of high-quality economic development,and practically,they provide empirical evidence for the continuous deepening of reform and innovation in the free trade zone as well as for promoting a higher level of opening-up.
关键词
自由贸易试验区/经济高质量发展/准自然实验/双重差分
Key words
pilot free trade zone/high-quality economic development/quasi-natural experiment/DID
万方数据