摘要
Corporate-based networks have provided an important lens for the understanding of regional configuration,but the sole focus on intrafirm linkages limited the revealing of the whole picture of a region.In this regard,this study centers at the inter-firm linkages in the Yangtze River Delta,and employs the data concerning business interactions between patent consulting companies and their clients to supplement the analysis on the urban network in the region.The results show that the local administrative power represented by provincial government is still decisive in determining the economic relations among enterprises.Provincial capital cities including Nanjing,Hangzhou,and Hefei occupy the center positions of the regional network,while Shanghai,due to its lack of administrative hinterland,fails to show significant centralized functions.A comparative analysis on urban network from multiple perspectives shows that although the Yangtze River Delta region presents the characteristics of a flat spatial structure in certain fields,significant administrative constraints are still observed in the advanced producer service functions,demonstrating a distinctive feature of market division in the region.By employing new data,this study introduces a new lens for the research on urban network,and,to a certain extent,achieves a breakthrough in the existing theoretical framework of related research.
