Application of parallel dynamic two-stage directional distance function for R&D efficiency evaluation in China

Abstract

With a wealth of empirical evidence showing that R&D investment has a significant positive impact on economic growth, R&D and investment is catching the attention of academics and politicians. This study was conducted in 30 provinces and cities in China, and the study period was from 2016 to 2020. A parallel dynamic two-stage approach of R&D and commercialization was used to measure the R&D efficiency situation in Chinese countries. The empirical results show that: 1) there are regional differences in the efficiency of R&D and commercialization stages among 30 provinces and regions in China. 2) There is also a regional difference between the R&D efficiency of enterprises and higher education in the R&D stage, with higher education outperforming enterprises in terms of R&D efficiency. 3) In terms of overall efficiency performance, commercialization efficiency is better than R&D efficiency. 4) In terms of regional analysis, the overall efficiency of R&D in the eastern region is better than that in the central and western regions, and R&D is better than commercialization in terms of stage efficiency, with enterprises performing best in terms of stage efficiency.