Abstract
This paper visualizes the spatial distributions of China's state and non-state manufacturing firms' productivity. It uses a large firm-level data set and proposes methods of blockwise GWR (Geographically Weighted Regression) and mixed GWR, methods which allow us to estimate spatially varying parameters with large micro data. They enable flexible model building and can be applied in a wide range of statistical analyses. Using a blockwise mixed GWR model that has fixed coefficient variables to control for firm heterogeneity, a large regional disparity in manufacturing productivity is clarified in China. Productivity growth has been high in the area south to the Yangtze River (particularly high in areas around Changsha City), and the productivity disparity has been large in the North and the Northwest regions.
