Measuring Access to Basic Public Services at the Grassroots Level in China: The Perspective of Village-Level Healthcare and Education Services

Based on spatiotemporal big data on the spatial distribution of public service facilities from the AutoNavi (Gaode) Map database, this article develops a two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) measurement model that captures residents' probability of having opportunities to use public services from a supply-and-demand perspective, and analyzes the basic stylized facts of spatial access to two basic public services—healthcare and education—at the village level in China. The study finds that: first, although the degree of dispersion in village-level access remains substantial, regional differences have continued to narrow. Access has developed in a more coordinated manner within China's four major urban agglomerations, and access levels in formerly contiguous areas of extreme poverty have risen rapidly. Second, public services with smaller catchment areas and at lower administrative tiers are the main driving force behind improvements in access. Access to village clinics and primary schools constitutes the main component of the contribution to improved access to healthcare and education services, respectively. Third, growth in access stems mainly from the extensive margin, with the expansion of the coverage of public service supply playing an important role in that growth. These findings have important practical significance for understanding and improving access to basic public services and for solidly advancing the equalization of basic public services and common prosperity.