2026/07/25 by Yuman Feng, FENG Yuman, Zhicong Ye +2
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #China #China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance #Delta #Economic Zones and Regional Development #Pearl #Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis #Relocation #River delta
paper · doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103940
published in Habitat International 176, 103940 (Elsevier BV)
openalex publication_date 2026/07/25 · crossref created 2026/07/25 · openalex created_date 2026/07/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/27 · crossref deposited 2026/08/05 · crossref indexed 2026/08/05 · crossref issued 2026/10/01 · crossref published 2026/10/01 · crossref published-print 2026/10/01
Firm relocation is a key process in regional economic dynamics and the evolution of spatial structures. This study explores the determinants and mechanisms of high-tech firms' relocation decisions including whether firms relocate, where they relocate, and how these factors evolve across their life cycle in the Pearl River Delta region, China, by constructing a comprehensive analytical framework incorporating four dimensions—territorial and network embeddedness, location conditions, policy factors, and innovation capacity. The findings reveal that policy factors, territorial embeddedness, and innovation capacity are the most influential in relocation decisions. The choice of relocation destination is primarily driven by the firm's previous location and the differences between origin and destination sites. Furthermore, the significance of these influencing factors changes over the life cycle, reflecting a dynamic evolution of organizational routines as firms adapt to internal knowledge accumulation and external environmental shifts. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanisms of high-tech firms' relocation decisions and offers policy implications for the construction of industrial and innovation spaces that cater to the needs of high-tech firms at different stages of development.