Analysis of the China’s Interprovincial Innovation Connection Network Based on Modified Gravity Model

Abstract

With the arrival of the era of innovative economy, innovation is of great significance for the development of China, and even the world. Based on statistical data and taking 2009, 2014, and 2019 as node years, this study uses the entropy weight method and a modified gravity model to study the pattern and evolution characteristics of China’s interprovincial innovation network. The results showed that: 1. The weights of innovation output, innovation input, and innovation environment were 0.253, 0.340, and 0.407, respectively. Currently, innovation output is the most representative of the interprovincial innovation connections, but the weight of innovation environment has been increasing year by year, and its importance is constantly highlighted. 2. The overall spatial structure of China’s interprovincial innovation network shows a “core periphery” feature, radiating from coastal provinces such as Jiangsu, Beijing, and Zhejiang to inland provinces, and exhibiting an overall pattern of “strong in the east and weak in the west”. 3. In terms of evolutionary characteristics, Guangdong and Jiangsu ranked in the top two in terms of outward innovation scale from 2009 to 2019. The combined total innovation connections of the top five provinces in 2009, 2014, and 2019 accounted for 70.79%, 64.29%, and 64.24%, respectively. Although the phenomenon of uneven innovation connections exists, it has slowed down. In addition, China’s interprovincial innovation network is gradually becoming enriched, with the most significant change being the number of innovation links, with a gravity level increasing from four in 2009 to twenty-six in 2019. The interprovincial innovation links continue to strengthen, but the focus has not changed significantly; it is still concentrated in the Bohai Rim region and the Yangtze River Delta region. 4. In terms of maximum gravitational lines, Guangdong Province had the highest number of maximum gravitational lines in 2009, 2014, and 2019, with a total of six. The maximum gravitational line change from 2009 to 2019 took place from 2014 to 2019, transitioning from “Jilin-Liaoning” to “Jilin-Heilongjiang”.