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The transition from imitation to innovation: An enquiry into China's evolving institutions and firm capabilities

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  • Dobson, Wendy
  • Safarian, A.E.

Abstract

How is the Chinese economy making the transition from imitation to innovation as the source of sustained long-term growth? We address this question using the evolutionary approach to growth in which institutions support technical advance and enterprises develop capabilities to learn and innovate. Growth is seen as a series of disequilibria in which obstacles to innovation such as outdated institutions and weak incentive systems can cause growth to slow. We review existing literatures on institutions and firm behavior in China and compare these findings with those of our survey of Chinese firms in 2006. Industry and firm studies in the literature show how productivity is rising because of firm entry and exit rather than the adoption of new technologies. A striking feature both of the studies in the literature and our survey is the increasing competitive pressures on firms that encourage learning. Our survey of privately owned small and medium enterprises in five high-tech industries in Zhejiang province found a market-based innovation system and evidence of much process and some product innovations. These enterprises respond to growing product competition and demanding customers with intensive internal learning, investment in R&D and a variety of international and research linkages.

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  • Dobson, Wendy & Safarian, A.E., 2008. "The transition from imitation to innovation: An enquiry into China's evolving institutions and firm capabilities," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 301-311, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:asieco:v:19:y:2008:i:4:p:301-311
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    Cited by:

    1. Chung, Leanne & Tan, Kim Hua, 2017. "The unique chinese innovation pathways: Lessons from chinese small and mediuem sized manufacturing firms," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 80-87.
    2. Huang, Ying Sophie & Wang, Chia-Jane, 2015. "Corporate governance and risk-taking of Chinese firms: The role of board size," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 96-113.
    3. Zhuan Xie & Xiaobo Zhang, 2015. "The patterns of patents in China," China Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 122-142, May.
    4. Juthathip Jongwanich & Archanun Kohpaiboon & Chih-Hai Yang, 2014. "Science park, triple helix, and regional innovative capacity: province-level evidence from China," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 333-352, April.
    5. Panagiotis Tsolakidis & Naoum Mylonas & Eugenia Petridou, 2020. "The Impact of Imitation Strategies, Managerial and Entrepreneurial Skills on Startups’ Entrepreneurial Innovation," Economies, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-17, October.
    6. Shang, Qingyan & Poon, Jessie P.H. & Yue, Qingtang, 2012. "The role of regional knowledge spillovers on China's innovation," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 1164-1175.
    7. Zhang, Han & Patton, Donald & Kenney, Martin, 2013. "Building global-class universities: Assessing the impact of the 985 Project," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 765-775.
    8. Zhang, Liangliang & Huang, Shoujun, 2022. "Social capital and regional innovation efficiency: The moderating effect of governance quality," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 343-359.
    9. Yu, Xiubao & Yan, Jie & Assimakopoulos, Dimitris, 2015. "Case analysis of imitative innovation in Chinese manufacturing SMEs: Products, features, barriers and competences for transition," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(4), pages 520-525.
    10. He, Xiyou & Mu, Qing, 2012. "How Chinese firms learn technology from transnational corporations: A comparison of the telecommunication and automobile industries," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 270-287.
    11. Jun Liu & Yu Qian & Huihong Chang & Jeffrey Yi-Lin Forrest, 2022. "The Impact of Technology Innovation on Enterprise Capacity Utilization—Evidence from China’s Yangtze River Economic Belt," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-17, September.
    12. Tianjiao Xia & Xiaohui Liu, 2017. "Foreign competition, domestic competition and innovation in Chinese private high-tech new ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(6), pages 716-739, August.
    13. Shuang Wang & Shukuan Zhao & Dong Shao & Hongyu Liu, 2020. "Impact of Government Subsidies on Manufacturing Innovation in China: The Moderating Role of Political Connections and Investor Attention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-21, September.
    14. Chih-Hai Yang & Chia-Hui Huang, 2018. "Agglomeration, ownership, and R&D activity: firm-level evidence from China’s electronics industry," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1673-1696, June.
    15. Dingqi Xue & Yili Ding & Lu Yu & Xinghua Deng, 2023. "The Impact of Green Institutional Pressure from Local Governments on Corporate Innovation: An Empirical Evidence from Foreign-Invested Enterprises in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-18, July.
    16. Shakeel Ahmed Arain & Qazi Muhammad MoinuddinAbro & Ahmed Tunio, 2014. "Software Firm Level Innovation in China and India: Lessons for Pakistan," International Journal of Management Sciences, Research Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 3(2), pages 73-81.
    17. Sheng Wang & Rebecca Guidice & Yuanyuan Zhou & Zhong-Ming Wang, 2017. "It’s more complicated than we think: The implications of social capital on innovation," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 649-674, September.
    18. Yanrui Wu, 2012. "R&D Behaviour in Chinese Firms," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 12-26, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    19. Gupeng Zhang & Hongbo Duan & Jianghua Zhou, 2016. "Investigating determinants of inter-regional technology transfer in China: a network analysis with provincial patent data," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 10(2), pages 345-364, March.
    20. Im, Hyun Joong & Shon, Janghoon, 2019. "The effect of technological imitation on corporate innovation: Evidence from US patent data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    21. Fleisher, Belton M. & McGuire, William H. & Smith, Adam Nicholas & Zhou, Mi, 2013. "Intangible Knowledge Capital and Innovation in China," IZA Discussion Papers 7798, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    22. Dong, Jing & Gou, Yan-nan, 2010. "Corporate governance structure, managerial discretion, and the R&D investment in China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 180-188, April.
    23. Veronica Scuotto & Sunil Shukla, 2018. "Being Innovator or ‘Imovator’: Current Dilemma?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 9(1), pages 212-227, March.
    24. Yi Zhang & Kaihua Chen & Guilong Zhu & Richard C. M. Yam & Jiancheng Guan, 2016. "Inter-organizational scientific collaborations and policy effects: an ego-network evolutionary perspective of the Chinese Academy of Sciences," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 108(3), pages 1383-1415, September.
    25. Jason Li-Ying & Yuandi Wang & Søren Salomo & Wim Vanhaverbeke, 2013. "Have Chinese firms learned from their prior technology in-licensing? An analysis based on patent citations," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 95(1), pages 183-195, April.

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