ABSTRACT
Purpose This study aims to investigate the basic public service level in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region under the impact of COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach This study constructed a basic public service-level evaluation system from the five dimensions of education, culture, health, social security and infrastructure and environment, and measures the basic public service level in 13 cities in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei using the entropy method. The spatial pattern and dynamic evolution of the public service level are analysed from the perspective of dynamic trends in time series and spatial distribution, along with the reasons for the evolution of spatial distribution. Findings (1) The basic public service level in the 13 cities is generally on the rise, but the trend is unstable. (2) The basic public service level in space shows a general trend of attenuation from northeast to southwest, with significant spatial imbalance and orientation. (3) The regional differences first increase and then decrease. (4) The inter-group mobility of different basic public service levels is low, and cities with lower initial levels find it difficult to achieve leapfrog development. Moreover, the health service level of the region is still at a low stage, which is not conducive to effectively preventing and controlling the epidemic. Originality/value From the perspective of this research, the spatial pattern and dynamic evolution of basic public service were adopted to analyse the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Furthermore, this study discusses how to improve the basic public service level to ensure sustainable operation in the region under the impact of COVID-19.