Abstract
Nowadays, in China, there exist obvious regional economic differences. However, narrowing such differences involves solving the problem of regional innovation differences. Furthermore, regional innovation capability disparity is an important factor in explaining the imbalances between regional economic development and international economic development. Hence, the study first adopts the Theil index decomposition formula to analyze innovation difference and evolution law in China and its four regions during 1998–2013 from the perspective of high-tech industries. The study explains the reasons for the differences in regional innovation capability on the spatial and factorial levels. The study then analyzes the convergence of innovation capability on different space-scales by applying the spatial panel of the β convergence model. The analyses show that 2007 was the important inflection point in China’s regional innovation capability difference pattern; since then, the convergence speed of regional innovation capability has accelerated significantly.
Highlights
This study aims to examine the innovation differences between regions as well as the corresponding evolution law and influencing factors, based on space and factorial perspectives
From the perspective of a region, the innovation difference can be regarded as a main reason for regional economic differences [3], and the regional economic growth pole and regional innovation growth pole are super-positioned in geographical space [4]
Does Chinese regional innovation capability fluctuation really show the characteristics of convergence? If so, what type of convergence might it be—global absolute convergence or club convergence? Which factors that affect regional innovation difference push the convergence of regional innovation capability? Answering these questions will help the country understand the role of innovation capability factors in regional collaborative innovation from the macro level, and it will provide some theoretical suggestions for the Chinese government to formulate a regional innovation policy
Summary
This study aims to examine the innovation differences between regions as well as the corresponding evolution law and influencing factors, based on space and factorial perspectives. The motive power of innovation in science and technology (hereinafter referred to as “sci-tech”) is indispensable for regional development and national prosperity, and the economic growth theory views such innovation as the core factor in regional economic development [1]. The deep reason is the innovation difference between regions and the difference between regional innovation resources and the active level of innovation activity [2]. From the perspective of a country, the more developed its regions are, the further its innovation capability and active level of innovation factors will proceed. The United States, for example, is highly developed in many of its regions, and its innovation capability and level of innovation factors are correspondingly advanced. Differences in regional innovation capability are an important factor in explaining the imbalances between regional economic development and international economic development [5]. This study attempts to focus on the measurement of innovation disparity and the mechanism behind this disparity
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