Temporal and spatial characteristics of county level economic disparities of Baiyin region during the period of 1994–2008

The regional economic discrepancy has always been acting as a very important part of the region-economy research. Taking county level of Baiyin as the study unit, the temporal characteristics of the regional economy disparity of Baiyin was analyzed through calculating the standard deviation, extreme difference, coefficient of variation and RHL of per capita GDP of different counties and districts from 1994 to 2008. Using the principal component analysis and cluster analysis, the spatial characteristics of the regional economic disparity of 2008 was also analyzed by constructing a comprehensive economic index system which includes fourteen economic indices. The results show: Firstly, the absolute discrepancy of regional economy of five counties (districts) shows an enlarging trend in Baiyin, and this trend mentioned above was speeded up espacially after 2003. The polarization of regional economy was becoming more and more obvious. The standard deviation and extreme difference of per capita GDP increased to 13646.70 yuan and 37007.00 yuan in 2008 from 2819.13 yuan and 7684.00 yuan in 1994 respectively, enlarging 3.84 times and 3.82 times respentively. Secondly, the relative discrepancy of regional economy slightly reduced in Baiyin in the last 15 years. Thirdly, based on the scores of comprehensive economic strength, three counties and two districts of Baiyin was divided into three types of economic areas, namely, more developed, middle developed and less developed.