Place-based policies, firm productivity, and displacement effects: Evidence from Shenzhen, China

Developing and transitional countries devote considerable funds to selected areas to stimulate local growth and firm productivity. We examine the impact of place-based interventions due to the opening of science parks in Shenzhen, China, on firm productivity and factor use. Our identification strategy, exploiting spatial and temporal differencing in firm-level data, addresses the issues that (a) the selection of science park locations is not random and (b) high-productivity firms sort themselves into science parks. Firm productivity is approximately 15–25% higher due to the science park policy. The policy also increases local wages and leads to distortions due to job displacement. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Regional Science Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.