西安交通大学学报（社会科学版）2026，Vol.46Issue(4)：12-22,11.DOI:10.15896/j.xjtuskxb.202604002
中国城市经济学自主知识体系的建构逻辑
The Constructive Logic of the Autonomous Knowledge System for Chinese Urban Economics:Reflections on the Applicability Boundaries of Western Theories
摘要
Abstract
This paper focuses on the logic underlying the construction of an autonomous knowledge system for Chinese urban economics.Taking as its point of departure a critical reflection on the theoretical applicability of mainstream Western urban economics,it systematically addresses the deep-seated predicaments and"aphasia"that Western theories encounter when explaining urbanization practices in the Global South,particularly in China.The paper points out that Western urban economics,from von Thünen's agricultural location theory to the new economic geography,has formed a theoretical lineage centered on the"space-efficiency"nexus.Its theoretical"hard core"consists of rational economic agents,general equilibrium,and the belief that the market spontaneously achieves optimal spatial allocation,giving rise to the classic framework of"agglomeration economies-spatial equilibrium".However,this framework is rooted in the specific Western context of mature market economies,private property rights,completely free factor mobility,and gradual urbanization.Its applicability is strictly bounded by this context.Once uncritically elevated as a universal theory,it reveals pronounced contradictions in adaptability when confronted with the Global South. Taking the"over-urbanization"of Latin America and Africa and the"large-scale+institution-driven"urbanization of China as typical cases,the paper reveals the systemic disconnection between Western theoretical presuppositions and Southern developmental practices.In Latin America and Africa,urbanization rates far exceed levels of industrialization;spontaneous market adjustment has not only failed to achieve spatial equilibrium but has instead triggered urban maladies such as slum proliferation and youth unemployment,completely contradicting the predictions of Western theory.China's urbanization,by contrast,is distinctive in terms of population scale,developmental rhythm,institutional models,and value orientations:within just a few decades,it has accomplished the spatial migration of hundreds of millions of people,forming a synergistic model of"government guidance+market operation"while consistently upholding the development philosophy of balancing efficiency and equity and putting the people at the center.The uniqueness of these three dimensions-the compressed scale and rhythm,the non-market-dominated institutional model,and the people-centered value objective-fundamentally surpasses Western theoretical presuppositions that prioritize capital efficiency and relegate the government to a mere"night watchman".This makes it impossible for Western theories to accommodate the endogenous role of the Chinese government in strategic planning,institutional supply,and resource coordination,let alone to explain the core functions of institutional arrangements such as public land ownership in balancing development,equity,and stability. On this basis,the paper articulates the logic for constructing an autonomous knowledge system for Chinese urban economics,elaborating on three levels:institutional foundations,construction pathways,and global value.In terms of institutional foundations,China,as a typical"institutional state",possesses medium-and long-term planning capacities,a basic economic system with public ownership as the mainstay,and gradual institutional reforms,all of which provide strong state capabilities for urbanization and constitute the objective grounding of an autonomous knowledge system.Regarding construction pathways,the paper proposes that the theoretical"hard core"must undergo progressive transformation:in value orientation,replacing"capital efficiency"with"people-centeredness"and incorporating comprehensive human development and equalization of public services into the analytical framework;in behavioral assumptions,replacing the abstract"rational economic agent"with"institutionally embedded plural actors"and focusing on the synergistic interactions among government,enterprises,social organizations,and residents within specific institutional environments;and in resource allocation mechanisms,treating"market-government synergy"as an endogenous variable,breaking free from the monopoly of a single market logic in Western theory,and making institutions a core force in optimizing spatial resource allocation.In terms of global value,this knowledge system seeks to transcend the singular"capital-efficiency"paradigm of the West,to break the"center-periphery"structure of global knowledge production,to provide theoretical resources for Global South countries beyond Western pathways,and to propel global urban economics toward pluralistic paradigm dialogue and inclusive development.Finally,the paper notes that future research should continue to refine the theoretical core of China's urban transition from quantitative expansion to qualitative improvement,promote the integration of interdisciplinary methods,and,through international comparison,construct an analytical framework that unifies universality and particularity,ultimately forming an autonomous knowledge system of urban economics with Chinese characteristics,Chinese style,and Chinese ethos.关键词
城市经济学/自主知识体系/建构逻辑/西方理论/适用边界/全球南方/城市化Key words
urban economics/autonomous knowledge system/construction logic/western theories/applicability boundary/global south/urbanization分类
管理科学引用本文复制引用
邓智团,王丽华..中国城市经济学自主知识体系的建构逻辑[J].西安交通大学学报（社会科学版）,2026,46(4):12-22,11.基金项目
上海市哲学社会科学规划重大研究专项课题(2025DZX033) （2025DZX033）
国家社会科学基金后期资助项目(25FJYB007). （25FJYB007）
