Variable

Indicator name

Indicator definition

Dependent variable

Productive service industry agglomeration level (S)

Location entropy of productive service industry in each city.

Independent variable

Human capital (H)

The ratio of the number of university students in higher education institutions in cities and the number of students in 16 cities in the Yangtze River Delta.

Independent variable

City size (CS)

The ratio of population of each city in the Yangtze River Delta and the total number of urban population.

Independent variable

Manufacturing level (I)

The ratio of industrial production value of each city to the total industrial production value of 16 cities in the Yangtze River Delta.

Independent variable

Degree of openness (O)

The ratio of the actual amount of foreign investment in each city to the amount of foreign investment in 16 cities.