The Research on Coupling Level Difference and Path of Human Capital and Economic Growth in China’s Five Urban Agglomerations

Abstract

Based on the data of the China’s five major urban agglomerations from 2007 to 2016, the coupling level and spatial difference between human capital and economic growth were calculated using the extended coupling degree model and Dagum gini coefficient decomposition method. Then, the coupling promotion path of human capital and economic growth of the five urban agglomerations is designed under the framework of subsection dynamics. The results show that: first, the coupling degree of the five major urban agglomerations shows a slow upward trend and polarization, and the hot spots did not change significantly from 2007 to 2016 and had diffusion effect; second, the spatial difference of coupling degree is significant and the difference between urban agglomerations is the main source of the overall difference; third, from the perspective of regional distribution dynamics, there is obvious dynamic disharmony between human capital and economic growth in the five urban agglomerations. The degree of solidification of the latter is greater than that of the former, and the low-level trap of regional economic growth is more serious. Keywords—urban agglomeration; coupling; spatial difference; distribution dynamics; coupling path