The Impact of Local Government Overtime on Urban Economic Growth: Evidence from 313 Cities in China

Authors

  • Xuexiang Tan Tai'an Editing and Proofreading Center, China Machine Press, Tai'an 271025, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6981/FEM.202607_7(7).0020

Keywords:

Local Government; Overtime Intensity; Urban Economic Growth;

Abstract

Existing research on overtime work has primarily focused on the corporate level, with insufficient attention paid to overtime phenomena at the government level-and even less to their impact on urban economic growth. Therefore, this study aims to explore the influence of local government overtime(LGO) on urban economic growth(UEG) and its micro-level mechanism of action. Employing a two-way fixed effects model, we analyze panel data of 313 cities in China from 2012 to 2025. Empirical results indicate that LGO exerts a significant inverted U-shaped relationship with UEG. Mechanism analysis reveals that LGO affects UEG mainly by altering  government innovation capacity. Moderating effect analysis demonstrates that government digital transformation plays a moderating role in the relationship between LGO and UEG.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] Landry, P. F., Lü, X., & Duan, H. (2018). Does performance matter? Evaluating political selection along the Chinese administrative ladder. Comparative Political Studies, 51(8), 1074–1105.

[2] Mumtaz, H., & Theodoridis, K. (2023). The Federal Reserve's implicit inflation target and macroeconomic dynamics: an SVAR analysis. International Economic Review, 64(4), 1749–1775.

[3] Carvelli, G., & Trecroci, C. (2025). Government debt and economic growth: Heterogeneity, asymmetries, and the role of net debt. Applied Economics, 57(46), 7419–7437.

[4] Sobel, R. S. (2008). Testing Baumol: Institutional quality and the productivity of entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 23(6), 641–655.

[5] Yu, Y., Li, K., Duan, S., & Song, C. (2023). Economic growth and environmental pollution in China: New evidence from government work reports. Energy Economics, 124, 106803.

[6] Alnafrah, I., & Bogatov, A. (2025). Comparative fiscal governance policy: Evaluating the causal impact of fiscal councils on economic performance. Economic Systems, 101307.

[7] Li, S., & Li, G. (2024). Fiscal decentralization, government self-interest and fiscal expenditure structure bias. Economic Analysis and Policy, 81, 1133–1147.

[8] Christiaens, T. (2020). The entrepreneur of the self beyond Foucault’s neoliberal homo oeconomicus. European Journal of Social Theory, 23(4), 493–511.

[9] Yang, X., Zhang, K., Liao, G., & Gao, P. (2024). Administrative monopoly and state-owned enterprise innovation: Evidence from the fair competition review system in China. International Review of Financial Analysis, 95, 103463.

[10] Jin, H. (2025). Effects of decentralization on local economic growth in China. Asian Economic Journal, 119, 106116.

[11] Hong, T., Yu, N., Mao, Z., & Zhang, S. (2021). Government-driven urbanisation and its impact on regional economic growth in China. Cities, 117, 103299.

[12] Ghourchian, S., & Yilmazkuday, H. (2020). Government consumption, government debt and economic growth. Review of Development Economics, 24(2), 589–605.

[13] Ashraf, B. N. (2020). Economic impact of government interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic: International evidence from financial markets. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, 27, 100371.

[14] Zhang, J., & Pan, T. (2025). The effect of minimum wage increases on the labor productivity of star-rated hotels: evidence from China. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(1), 197–215.

Downloads

Published

2026-07-15

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Tan, X. (2026). The Impact of Local Government Overtime on Urban Economic Growth: Evidence from 313 Cities in China. Frontiers in Economics and Management, 7(7), 214-222. https://doi.org/10.6981/FEM.202607_7(7).0020