Technological Innovation In China Research Articles

Development Status and Evolution Analysis of Cooperative Innovation Network in The New Energy Vehicle Industry

 As a strategic emerging industry, new energy vehicles are very important to the economic development of a country. The new energy vehicle industry has entered a new stage of accelerated development. However, at present, there is still a gap between the driving force of technological innovation in China's new energy vehicle industry and developed countries, and the cooperation and innovation of enterprises in the industrial chain still need to be improved in terms of complementarity and closeness of cooperation. Based on the cooperative patent data of enterprises in the new energy vehicle industry from 2010 to 2020, this paper divides it into three stages, and uses the spatial analysis tool of ArcGIS software to systematically analyze the spatial distribution characteristics of cooperative innovation networks in various provinces. The results show that more and more enterprises are choosing collaborative innovation. The conclusions of this study can put forward relevant policy suggestions for enterprises in China's new energy vehicle industry to achieve high-quality technological innovation.

Are women greener? Board gender diversity and corporate green technology innovation in China

This article investigates how board gender diversity impacts corporate green technology innovation, and whether regional gender contexts as well as corporate financial constraints moderate this relationship. Using a panel of 20,834 firm-year observations of China, the results indicate a statistically significant positive association between board gender diversity and corporate green technology innovation. Specifically, the study finds that boards with three or more female directors have a stronger positive effect on green technology innovation than boards with two or fewer female directors, in line with the critical mass theory. Besides, the result shows that the effect of female executive directors outweighs that of female independent directors. Further, the positive association between female directors and green technology innovation is found to be more pronounced in firms located in regions with higher levels of gender equality and higher proportions of women in politics, while financial constraints act to alleviate the extent of the positive relationship. Additionally, female directors play a potent role in reducing corporate carbon emissions, particularly for high-polluting firms and those located in regions with stricter environmental regulation. The key results remain unchanged after correcting for endogeneity concern. Overall, this study has substantial practical implications and provides valuable insights for managers and policymakers regarding the contribution of female leadership in enhancing corporate environmental performance.

Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizer consumption, and technological innovation: A comprehensive quantile analysis

This paper investigates the asymmetric inter-linkages and causality between agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizer consumption, and technological innovation in four main agricultural countries i.e., China, the United States, Japan and Canada, by employing monthly data from 1990 to 2019. Accordingly, Quantile-on-Quantile (QQ) regression and two causality-in-quantile approaches are applied to conduct a comprehensive quantile analysis of the asymmetric relationship for all quantiles of the above distribution. Our results exhibit a positive association between agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizer consumption, and technological innovation in China, the United States and Canada. Besides, the strength of the positive association depends largely on the development level of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizer consumption, and technological innovation. However, except for the positive impact between fertilizer consumption and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, I find a negative nexus between agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and technological innovation in Japan. Compared with the other three sample countries, Japan has done the best in agricultural greenhouse gas emission mitigation. The results also demonstrate that agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizer consumption, and technological innovation follow a bidirectional quantile-causality relation in all sample countries. Overall, I find that fertilizer consumption does increase agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, and that technological innovation has not played a full role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in most countries. Finally, our findings have significant implications for formulating reasonable emission reduction measures in the agricultural sector.

Research on the impact of environmental regulations on green technological innovation in China from the perspective of digital transformation: a threshold model approach

The digital transformation in developing countries is crucial in determining whether environmental regulations can better facilitate green technological innovation. This paper constructs a theoretical model to deduce the relationships among digital transformation, environmental regulations, and green technological innovation. Empirical research is conducted using a two-way fixed-effects model and a threshold regression approach, based on provincial panel data from China spanning the years 2013 to 2020. The results indicate that environmental regulation inhibits green technological innovation. However, digital transformation, by reducing cost pathways, can promote the efficiency of green technological innovation under environmental regulation. This moderating effect exhibits a nonlinear threshold characteristic. Regarding dimensions of digital transformation, the level of digital investment shows no threshold, while both the level of digital application and the scale of digital integration exhibit threshold effects. Presently, in China, digital transformation effectively incentivizes green technological innovation under environmental regulation. Therefore, increasing digital investment, advancing digital applications, and fostering digital integration are inevitable choices to drive green technological innovation under the pressure of environmental regulation.

A Feasibility Study on the Application of Artificial Intelligence on the Human Resource Practices among Manufacturing Companies in China

This paper presents a feasibility study on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into human resource (HR) practices within the manufacturing sector of China. With the rapid advancement of AI technologies, industries worldwide are exploring its potential applications to streamline operations and enhance efficiency. However, the adoption of AI in HR functions, particularly within manufacturing companies in China, remains relatively unexplored. This study aims to assess the feasibility of implementing AI-driven solutions in various HR processes such as recruitment, training, performance evaluation, and employee engagement. The research methodology involves a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches. Primary data will be collected through surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions with HR professionals, managers, and employees from a diverse range of manufacturing companies across different regions in China. Additionally, secondary data from relevant literature, industry reports, and case studies will be analysed to gain insights into current trends, challenges, and best practices associated with AI adoption in HR. Key factors influencing the feasibility of AI integration will be examined, including technological readiness, organizational culture, regulatory environment, cost-benefit analysis, and potential socio-economic implications. The study will also explore the perceived benefits and concerns regarding the use of AI in HR practices, such as improved recruitment accuracy, enhanced employee productivity, data privacy concerns, and ethical considerations. Furthermore, the research will identify potential barriers and enablers to successful AI implementation and provide recommendations for policymakers, HR practitioners, and organizational leaders to navigate the challenges and leverage the opportunities presented by AI in the manufacturing sector. By shedding light on the feasibility and implications of AI adoption in HR practices, this study seeks to contribute to the ongoing discourse on the future  of work and technological innovation in China's manufacturing industry.

Air pollution and technological innovation in China: a two-way dynamic perspective

Air pollution and technological innovation in China: a two-way dynamic perspective

The spatial and temporal situation of China's digital technology innovation and its influencing factors.

Digital technology innovation is the core driving force for the high-quality development of the digital economy, and in-depth exploration of the regional distribution pattern and formation mechanism of digital technology innovation in China is conducive to the rational layout and coordinated development of the inter-provincial digital economy. Based on the Reference Relationship Table of the Classification of Core Industries of Digital Economy and the International Patent Classification (2023), the patent authorization data of digital technology from 2012 to 2022 were obtained, and the spatiotemporal situation of China's digital technology innovation was analyzed by using ArcGIS software, Dagum's Gini coefficient, and Moran's I index, and the spatial Dubin panel model was used to explore the influencing factors of digital technology innovation. It is found that: (1) the scale and vitality of China's digital technology innovation have increased significantly, and there are obvious spatial differentiation characteristics, and the innovation level of "eastern coastal-central and western interior" is decreasing, forming a cluster distribution pattern in the Yangtze River Delta region, Beijing, Guangdong, and other places, and the degree of agglomeration is decreasing. (2) The overall regional differences in China's digital technology innovation are large, the differences between the East and the West dominate the interregional differences, and the net differences between regions are the main factors leading to regional differences. (3) There is a significant positive spatial correlation between the scale and vitality of digital technology innovation, which has a significant spatial spillover effect. (4) The results confirm that the level of economic development, digital access, financial scientific and technological support, technology market development level, and R&D intensity have a significant positive impact on the scale and vitality of digital technology innovation; The investment in scientific and technological talents has a significant positive impact on the scale of digital technology innovation, but has no significant impact on the vitality of digital technology innovation.

Spatial pattern evolution and driving factors of urban green technology innovation in China

Spatial pattern evolution and driving factors of urban green technology innovation in China

How can pilot free trade zones affect regional technology innovation? –evidence from China at the city level

ABSTRACT This paper examines the impact of pilot Free Trade Zones (FTZs) on technology innovation in China. Applying a multi-phase difference in difference (DID) model with the data from 280 Chinese cities during 2004 – 2019, covering 18 pilot FTZs, we found significant positive technology innovation effects of pilot FTZs. Specifically, the establishment of pilot FTZs has encouraged ‘substantive innovation’ through improving business environment, producer services agglomeration and financial development. Further spatial analysis shows that the innovation effect of the pilot FTZs has a positive spillover effect on neighbouring cities whose innovation capabilities are improved significantly, and thus narrows the innovation gap between cities. In terms of time dimension, the positive effect of pilot FTZs on innovation is immediate and continuously amplified. The above conclusions are robust using the placebo test, PSM-DID and control of provincial effects. The results provide important implications in extending the pilot FTZs to a wider coverage.

The dynamic mechanism of scientific and technological innovation in China’s marine biomedical industry

As one of the important forces promoting the development of the marine economy, the marine biomedical industry (MBI) shows typical knowledge and technology-intensive characteristics. It is of great significance to explore the industrial innovation dynamic mechanism for breaking through the bottleneck of innovative development as well as achieving high-quality development. This paper constructed a system dynamics model for scientific and technological innovation (STI) in the MBI and then explored the dynamic mechanism of STI in the industry through simulation. The study found that, in the innovation environment subsystem, the two factors of the intellectual property protection intensity and the government’s scientific research funding input had the most significant positive driving effects on STI of the MBI; the promotion of government education funding input showed a significant strengthening trend over time, while the marine environmental regulation intensity had comparatively little effect on the level of STI. In the subsystem of innovation input, both innovation funding input and innovation personnel input were the direct driving forces for the improvement of the STI level. And enterprises played a dominant role in STI because the STI level of the MBI was more sensitive to the changes in enterprise innovation input. Compared with the individual factor input, the synergistic promotion effect of multiple factors is more significant. In addition, it was found that there was a low conversion rate of scientific research achievements in China’s MBI by analyzing the influence of various factors changing on technological output and economic output. Based on the research results, this paper puts forward corresponding policy suggestions in order to provide theoretical support and a practical basis for promoting the technological innovation level of China’s MBI as well as references for other countries.

The Impact of Digital Economy on Green Technology Innovation and Its Mechanism: Evidence from 274 Cities in China

ABSTRACT The digital economy is gradually emerging as a new driving force and engine for high-quality economic development. In the context of reaching carbon peak and carbon neutrality, can the digital economy empower the development of urban green technology innovation? Based on the panel data of 274 cities in China from 2011 to 2019, this paper measures the development level of digital economy at the city level and employs the two-way fixed effect model to empirically analyze the impact of digital economy on urban green technology innovation. The results indicate that: (1) Digital economy development exert a significant positive impact on urban green technology innovation. This conclusion still holds after a series of robustness tests. (2) Digital economy enhances urban green technology innovation by optimizing human capital structure, enhancing the level of financial and credit investment, and strengthening public environmental concern. (3) Heterogeneity analyses show that the digital economy has a greater positive effect on green technology innovation in the eastern region and non-resource cities. The higher the level of intellectual property protection and the better the development of the factor market, and the lower the intensity of environmental regulation, the greater the positive effect of the digital economy on urban green technology innovation. These findings are not only of great practical significance for accelerating the development of green technology innovation in China, but also serve as a reference for other developing countries to utilize the digital economy to empower the development of green technology innovation.

The role of the state and the intensification of R&D in China: evidence from large and medium-sized Chinese manufacturing firms

ABSTRACT We investigate the role of the state in the R&D intensification of China’s manufacturing industries. Using a data set that spans the population of large and medium-sized Chinese manufacturing firms from 2007 to 2016, we find evidence of two distinct models of technological innovation in China: state-owned enterprises that invest heavily in R&D and actively seek patents, which are not related to their economic performance; non-state-owned enterprises have been narrowing the gap with the state-owned enterprises in R&D spending, which boosts their economic performance, but these enterprises lag behind state-owned enterprises in patenting. The non-state model has seen its share of China’s R&D spending increasing at the expense of the state model, and government grants for firm R&D are partial to obtaining patents. All of this has taken place as Chinese manufacturing industries are becoming more competitive and less export-oriented.

Green finance, environmental quality and technological innovation in China

AbstractThis research analyses the impact of green finance development on the environmental quality of China. It utilises provincial panel data from 2006 to 2021 and takes technological innovation as the intermediary variable. Through the construction of a comprehensive index of green finance, technological innovation and environmental quality, we verify the hypothesis that green finance development does improve environmental quality. Taking innovation as the intermediary variable, this study examines the hypothesis that green finance enhances environmental quality by improving the level of innovation and also illustrates the importance of developing technology‐intensive industries. Heterogeneity analysis shows that different regions or different levels of green financial development have varying effects on environmental improvement. Finally, the findings validate the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) by showing an inverted U‐shape link between green finance and environmental quality. The results herein offer a benchmark for policymakers to further strengthen green finance policy, increase the proportion of green investment and raise the support of green finance for technological innovation, thus improving environmental pollution and promoting sustainable economic development.

Evaluation of the coupling coordination degree between digital inclusive finance and green technology innovation in China.

Digital inclusive finance (DIF) has been growing fast in recent years in China, and green technology innovation (GTI) is strongly promoted by the Chinese government. The coordinated development of DIF and GTI is important for China's economic transition to high-quality development. Therefore, utilizing the panel data of 288 prefecture cities from 2011 to 2020 in China, the research evaluates the coupling coordination degree between DIF and GTI (CCD-DG), analyzes spatial-temporal characteristics of CCD-DG, explores its regional disparities and finally analyzes its spatial effects. Results demonstrate that CCD-DG at the prefecture-city level showed a rise from 2011 to 2020, but the degree was only in the stage of basic coordination till 2020, which was mainly driven by the development of DIF in recent years. The regional disparities in CCD-DG remarkably existed but gradually narrowed down during the observation period, which mainly originated from the between-subregions differences as a result of the huge difference in GTI. Additionally, there was a significant spatial spillover effect of CCD-DG and its spatial distribution was roughly consistent with the spatial effect layout. Policy implications based on these results are finally proposed, including formulating policies with local characteristics to promote CCD-DG, emphasizing the discrepancies of CCD-DG between the East and the Northwest, and that within the Northwest and the South, etc.

Does enterprise digital transformation promote technological innovation? Empirical evidence from China

Purpose This study aims to test the link between enterprise digital transformation and technological innovation and the mechanisms and channels behind this link. Design/methodology/approach This study systematically examines whether and how enterprise digital transformation affects technological innovation in China. Findings Enterprise digital transformation effectively improves technological innovation. This result remains stable in robustness and endogeneity checks. The channel mechanisms of this promoting effect are internal (improvement of internal control quality and alleviation of agency costs) and external (increased attention of analysts and reduction of customer concentration). Moreover, this promoting effect is more significant for state-owned enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises, enterprises in areas with low marketization and enterprises that do not enjoy digital subsidies from the government. Social implications Enterprises need to attend to the mechanisms behind the link between digital transformation and technological innovation and to the unique effects of different enterprise attributes and capital markets, such as size, the ownership nature, the degree of regional marketization and government subsidies. Doing so will effectively promote digital transformation and technological innovation and strengthen core competitiveness. Originality/value This study provides systemic evidence of the link between enterprise digital transformation and technological innovation. The findings enrich the research literature on enterprise digitization and the factors of influencing enterprises’ technological innovation and provide a reasonable explanation for how enterprise digital transformation affects technological innovation.

How to Promote the Development of Industrial Wastewater Treatment Technological Innovation in China: A Tripartite Evolutionary Game Analysis

As a priority in the water treatment field, industrial wastewater treatment has attracted much attention in China. Although previous studies have pointed out the importance of technological innovation in industrial wastewater treatment, they have not taken into account the complex relationships involved in the subject, resulting in ineffectiveness. To solve this problem, this study innovatively introduces a wastewater treatment service provider and constructs a three-party evolutionary game model by simultaneously considering the penalty mechanism and public participation. An evolutionary stability analysis of each subject was performed, and the initial strategy and sensitivity analysis of the key parameters were explored through numerical simulation. The results of the study are as follows: (1) there was a positive interaction between the behaviors and strategies of the three parties of wastewater treatment; (2) subsidies and penalties can effectively encourage wastewater enterprises and wastewater treatment service providers to choose green behavior; (3) technological innovation in wastewater treatment is the key to reducing additional costs; (4) public supervision and media monitoring have a more obvious impact on governmental strategic decisions. The results of this study can provide a reference for the government to improve incentives and for stakeholders to adjust their strategies for decision support.

Information technology capability, open technological innovation and firm growth.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects of information technology (IT) capability on firm growth in the context of open technological innovation. The paper utilized a logical deductive approach to develop hypotheses and analytical frameworks, and collected empirical data from 256 Chinese new ventures. Regression analysis and structural equation models were used to test the hypotheses and analyze the data. The results showed that IT capability, including flexibility and integration of information technology, significantly influenced firm growth, and open technological innovation partially mediated the relationship between IT flexibility and firm growth, and significantly mediated the relationship between IT integration and firm growth. The paper's limitations include the cross-sectional design, limited sample size, and potential unobserved variables such as organizational learning that could affect the relationship between IT capability and firm growth. The research is the first to investigate the effects of IT capability on firm growth based on the mediation of open technological innovation in China, contributing to the literature on IT capability and providing insights for managerial practice in the sharing economy era.

Digital inclusive finance, government intervention, and urban green technology innovation.

Digital inclusive finance eases credit constraints on innovative small and medium-sized enterprises which contributes to urban green technology innovation in China. Government intervention plays an essential role in the development of digital inclusive finance. Based on the panel data of 243 cities in China from 2011 to 2019, this paper empirically examines the relationship between digital inclusive finance and urban green technology innovation as well as the intrinsic mechanism of government intervention. The findings show that, even after a series of robustness tests, digital inclusive finance can promote the quantity and quality of green technology innovation. In terms of its mechanism, digital inclusive finance can empower green technology innovation by complementing traditional financial development and stimulating green consumption, both in terms of supply and demand. At the same time, in the dynamic process of digital financial inclusion from low to high, the development of traditional finance and green consumption level on the marginal promotion of green technology innovation continues to strengthen. The nonlinear relationship test reveals that there is a significant double threshold effect on the positive impact of digital inclusive finance on urban green technology innovation with the evolution of government intervention. The innovation incentive effect of digital financial inclusion will be marginal decreasing with the increase of government intervention. Further considering the heterogeneity of urban geographic location and environmental regulation, it is found that digital financial inclusion promotes green technology innovation more in eastern and high-environmental regulation cities. Based on the above research conclusions, this paper argues that while developing digital inclusion finance, government support policies should be adjusted promptly to constantly stimulate the "Metcalfe's law" effect of digital inclusive finance enabling green technology innovation.

How do local government fiscal revenue targets affect green technology innovation in China?

ABSTRACT The process of economic development in China cannot be separated from the ‘shadow’ of government target intervention. Under the Chinese system of fiscal decentralization, constraints created by local government fiscal revenue targets (CCFRTs) will have a series of influence on development economically and socially. Based on the fiscal revenue target data revealed in the government work reports of 281 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2019, this paper explores the influence of CCFRTs on green technology innovation (GTI). The findings are as follows: first, CCFRTs significantly inhibits GTI. Second, Spatial Durbin model analysis shows that CCFRTs has significant negative spatial spillover effect on GTI. Third, CCFRTs can affect GTI through the optimization of industrial structure, the level of human capital, and the degree of opening-up, technological progress and economic growth. Fourth, CCFRTs has an obvious threshold effect on GTI. Finally, the influence of CCFRTs on GTI has regional heterogeneity in central, eastern and western China. In the western and central regions, CCFRTs significantly restrains GTI significantly, while in the eastern region, CCFRTs significantly promotes GTI.

Public-private partnerships investment in energy as new determinant of renewable energy: The role of political cooperation in China and India

The most urgent global concerns revolve around environmental degradation and climate change. The potential approach to address these challenges is the implementation of a transition towards renewable energy sources. The acquisition of capital plays a crucial role in facilitating the transition towards clean energy. The government sector has demonstrated a lack of adequate funds in numerous instances. Given the substantial financial requirements associated with renewable energy, it is imperative to establish partnerships with the private sector. Hence, this study examines the influence of public-private partnership investments on renewable energy, specifically focusing on the significance of political cooperation, R&D expenditures, and technological innovation in China and India from 1990 to 2021. We used panel ARDL and the Pairwise Granger causality tests for analysis. The findings revealed that public-private partnerships, R&D investments, and political cooperation enhance renewable energy whereas, technology impedes renewable energy. The results of the causality test confirm that there exists a bidirectional relationship between investments in research and development and renewable energy. Additionally, the analysis reveals a unidirectional relationship between technology and renewable energy. The study suggested policy implications for guiding investments in public-private partnerships within the energy sector to enhance renewable energy generation and safeguard environmental integrity.