Cooperative experimental governance in left-behind border regions

Digital transformation of imported fresh fruit distribution in Pingxiang city, China

Bibliographic Data

ID24235152
AuthorsXinyi Liang (0000-0002-4988-9897), Chun Yang (0000-0002-0169-3449)
Year2027
Volume178
Pages104888
Publication date2027-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueGeoforum (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0016-7185 • E-ISSN: 1872-9398
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.geoforum.2026.104888
OpenAlexW7223115317
LanguageEN
References cited55

Research on left-behind regions increasingly emphasizes place-based and neo-endogenous development, yet how digital platforms as extra-regional actors trigger and the subsequent regional transformation in left-behind border regions of emerging economies remains underexplored. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork conducted between 2023 and 2025, this paper examines the digital transformation of imported fresh fruit distribution in Pingxiang, a county-level city in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China along the border with Vietnam. It traces three phases of transformation of Pingxiang: platform-triggered grassroots adaptation, in which flexible border-trade arrangements enabled small traders to exploit digital platform-based market access; cooperative institutional experimentation, in which local authorities selectively incorporated extra-regional wholesale capabilities to stabilize distribution; and state-led infrastructural recentering, in which digital trade and distribution became increasingly organized through locally anchored, state-backed infrastructure under tighter border regulation. To explain these shifts, the paper develops cooperative experimental governance as a territorially embedded mode of governance through which state actors selectively coordinate with heterogeneous market actors to stabilize and redirect digital platform-triggered transformation in left-behind border regions. Digital platforms are thus understood as institutional triggers rather than stable developmental actors. The paper advances research on left-behind regions by showing that, in the digital era, regional transformation is shaped not simply by the formation of extra-regional connections, but by how these connections are organized, anchored, and reconfigured over time under specific border conditions.

China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Cross-Border Cooperation and Integration · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact

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