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Has the Returning Entrepreneurship Pilot Policy Enhanced County-Level Economic Resilience? Evidence from China

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Taking the returning entrepreneurship pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper systematically examines the impact of this policy on county-level economic resilience and its underlying mechanisms based on county-level panel data from China from 2011 to 2021, using methods such as the multi-period difference-in-differences approach. The study finds that the returning entrepreneurship pilot policy has a significant impact on enhancing county-level economic resilience. This conclusion holds after a series of robustness tests, including parallel trend tests, placebo tests, CSDID estimation, and PSM-DID. Mechanism analysis reveals that the policy likely enhances county-level economic resilience by promoting industrial structure upgrading and technological innovation. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the policy effect is more pronounced in regions with larger fiscal scales and higher levels of financial development. This paper provides theoretical and empirical evidence for understanding the role of government-led return migration policies in correcting market failures, optimizing factor allocation, and enhancing regional economic resilience, and offers references for related policy optimization.

Source: SAGE Open

DOI: 10.1177/21582440261466329

Authors: Jie Ji, Xinxin Wang, Qiaoyu Chen, Yiqin Hu

Institution: Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics

Language: English

Topic: Regional resilience and development

Subfield: Economics and Econometrics

Field: Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, No poverty

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,600