State-led metropolitan governance in China: Making integrated city regions

Scholars have widely discussed the issue of how to govern rapidly growing metropolitan regions under the economic, social and political pressures of globalization. Many have argued for a metropolitan governance approach that involves less government regulation and more flexible arrangements between public and civic sectors. However, in countries like China, where a traditionally centralized state controls most resources and seeks to impose its vision for metropolitan development, a strong state-led approach is widely adopted. This article analyzes such a state-led model in China and identifies the economic and political factors that contribute to such development. It is suggested that metropolitan governance in China has formed a strong top-down, "dirigiste type" model to achieve state objectives. Findings are drawn from field observation, archival research and socio-economic data analysis in the Guangzhou-Foshan metropolitan region of the Pearl River Delta region in China. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.