Port integration on the Yangtze River: Does it follow an "interest balance" pattern?

As one of the main strategic port governance tools, integration has been witnessed worldwide to facilitate regional development. To examine whether "interest balance" pattern observed in Chinese coastal region is also followed by inland ports, this paper extends work Chen et al. (2020) focusing on implementations six provinces along Yangtze River. A two-step methodological approach adopted, including a descriptive analysis and an explanatory analysis. The findings suggest that diversified implementation indeed exists River ports follow pattern. Specifically, institutional flexibility enables tailored implementations, which are characterized diversity. market structure power distribution recognized as determinants lead specific trajectories implementations. Notably, we find geographical distance outside-in development model can affect integration. This finding further enriches Based these findings, several general policy implications proposed for different contexts.