Uncovering the influence of land finance dependency on inter-city regional integration: An explanatory framework integrating time-nonlinear and spatial factors

Land finance plays a pivotal role and occupies an irreplaceable position in facilitating the rapid regional integration of China. This study introduced an explanatory framework that integrates both time-nonlinear and spatial factors to comprehensively investigate the impact of land finance dependency on regional integration. Furthermore, this paper employed the data between 2003 and 2017 from 108 cities within the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and utilized a spatial Durbin model to assess these effects. In terms of temporal dimension, this research uncovered an inverted U-shaped relationship between land finance dependency and regional integration. In 2017, 51 out of the 108 cities analyzed had not yet reached the optimal threshold of land finance dependency for peak regional integration. Additionally, inverted U-shaped patterns in the effects of two modes of land finance dependency on regional integration can be observed. The land transfer-centered mode demonstrated a significant impact, whereas the land investment-centered mode did not. Moreover, regional heterogeneity was evident in our analysis. The spatial effects of land finance dependency on regional integration were most pronounced in the lower reaches area, while they remained insignificant in the middle reaches area. In contrast, the influence of land finance dependency on regional integration remained positive but exhibited a marginal decline in the upper reaches area. This study delves deeply into land finance dependency from the perspective of regional integration, offering valuable insights for urban governance in the future. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd.