Abstract:
Based on the data from the municipal districts of seven major cities in China from 2000 to 2018, this paper measures equalization index of public services inside cities, and analyzes its spatial difference and convergence characteristics. The results show that there are obvious differences in the overall equalization of public services inside cities in China, and Shanghai has the highest level of equalization and Shijiazhuang has the lowest level of equalization. The level of equalization of public services in the urban areas of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai is relatively low and lower than the level in the suburbs, while the level of equalization of public services in the urban areas of Guangzhou, Nanjing and Shijiazhuang is relatively high and higher than the level in the suburbs. The difference in public service equalization between urban and suburban areas of Shanghai and Guangzhou is the lowest. The difference between urban and suburban areas is the main source of the overall difference in the equalization of public services in Beijing, Chongqing and Nanjing, while the difference within the urban and suburban areas is the main source of the overall difference in the equalization of public services in Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shijiazhuang. There are obvious absolute β convergence trends and conditional β convergence trends in the level of equalization of public services inside cities in China.