Research on the Evaluation and Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Financial Agglomeration Level of Prefecture-Level Cities in Guizhou Province Based on Multi-Source Data
Scientifically measuring the financial agglomeration level of prefecture-level units in Guizhou can effectively promote the high-quality development of Guizhou’s financial industry and give full play to the driving role of finance in surrounding regions. This study incorporated the Baidu search index and introduced the dimension of digital inclusive finance to construct a comprehensive evaluation system containing 30 secondary indicators. Based on the panel data of nine prefecture-level cities and prefectures in Guizhou from 2011 to 2025, this study adopted the entropy-weight-TOPSIS model for quantitative measurement. The time-series results revealed significant regional growth differentiation: Zunyi City achieves the highest provincial growth rate, followed by Tongren City and Qiannan Prefecture with sound growth momentum. Guiyang City maintains a consistently high agglomeration level with an upward overall score and occupies the leading position all the time, while Zunyi City experiences a phased leap after 2017 and develops into a secondary financial growth pole, continuously consolidating the foundation of provincial financial development. From the spatial perspective, hierarchical analysis of the years 2011, 2018 and 2025 with differentiated grading thresholds showed that Guizhou’s financial agglomeration pattern has evolved from the single-core dominance of Guiyang and prominent east-west developmental gaps toward a multi-polar collaborative development pattern. During the study period, regional disparities have been gradually alleviated, and the overall financial development level of the whole province has steadily improved, but some regions still remain at relatively low agglomeration levels. Overall, the financial agglomeration level of Guizhou Province has been continuously enhanced with an obvious transformation toward multi-polar collaborative development, though regional hierarchical differentiation still remains prominent. Based on the empirical findings, this study puts forward differentiated optimization countermeasures, which can provide a reliable reference for realizing balanced and high-quality financial agglomeration in Guizhou Province.
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