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Does State-level Upgrade of High-tech Zones Promote Urban Innovation Efficiency: Evidence from China

Author

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  • Qiong Wang

    (School of Economics, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230601, China)

  • Ru Yang

    (School of Economics, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230601, China)

  • Ruyue Zhao

    (Hangzhou Branch, China Merchants Bank, Hangzhou 310007, China)

  • Chengyuan Wang

    (School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China)

Abstract

Among China’s existing state-level High-tech Industry Development Zones (HIDZ), the number of upgraded ones account for more than 65%, which are supposed to fulfill the important mission of leading innovation. However, while the upgraded state-level HIDZ enjoy more opportunities than before, they also face major challenges such as the significant inter-generational differences between them and the born state-level HIDZ. Based on the panel data of Chinese (prefecture-level) cities from 2007 to 2015, the paper empirically examines the impact of the state-level upgrade of HIDZ on urban innovation efficiency by using a difference-in-differences propensity score matching approach (PSM-DID). The results show that the upgraded state-level HIDZ has significantly improved urban innovation efficiency, and this positive effect has gradually increased with the implementation of the upgrade policy. The further heterogeneity analysis shows that the higher the scientific research level of higher education institutions in the cities, the greater the promotion effect of the state-level upgrade. The paper evaluates the policy effect of the upgraded state-level HIDZ from their stated mission, which is a powerful complement to the existing research and provides more effective guidance for policy-makers.

Suggested Citation

  • Qiong Wang & Ru Yang & Ruyue Zhao & Chengyuan Wang, 2019. "Does State-level Upgrade of High-tech Zones Promote Urban Innovation Efficiency: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-14, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:21:p:6071-:d:282375
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    Cited by:

    1. Qixuan Wang & Jie Ren & Simin Yan & Zhan Cao & Yao Cheng, 2023. "Do the High-Tech Industrial Development Zones Foster Urban Innovation? A Case Study of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-18, April.
    2. Xiaohua Wang & Tianyu Wan & Qing Yang & Mengli Zhang & Yingnan Sun, 2021. "Research on Innovation Non-Equilibrium of Chinese Urban Agglomeration Based on SOM Neural Network," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-21, August.
    3. Haiying Xu & Wei-Ling Hsu & Teen-Hang Meen & Ju Hua Zhu, 2020. "Can Higher Education, Economic Growth and Innovation Ability Improve Each Other?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, March.

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