自贸试验区辐射带动周边城市经济增长的机制与对策OACHSSCD

As a national testing ground for institutional opening-up,the Pilot Free Trade Zones(PFTZs)hold a strategically significant position in China's construction of a new system for a higher-level open economy.Drawing on panel data from 127 cities covering the period 2008-2024,this paper excludes the host cities of PFTZs and the cities surrounding those established in subsequent batches.It designates the cities surrounding the four major PFTZs as the ex-perimental group and the remaining cities as the control group to empirically examine the spillover effect of PFTZ estab-lishment on the economic growth of surrounding regions.The findings indicate that the establishment of PFTZs can effec-tively drive economic growth in surrounding regions,with the mechanism primarily relying on government streamlining of administration and delegation of authority to promote market expansion in the surrounding areas;however,the rigidity of industrial chains tends to trap surrounding regions in a"low-end lock-in"dilemma.Accordingly,the paper systemati-cally analyzes the practical obstacles for surrounding regions in undertaking spillover effects and proposes optimization pathways,including establishing rapid policy implementation channels,building market linkage systems,seeking break-throughs in industrial upgrading,and avoiding a race to the bottom.These measures aim to assist surrounding regions in efficiently capturing the economic growth spillover dividends from PFTZs and effectively mitigating the risk of low-end in-dustrial lock-in.