IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i19p12352-d927984.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Human Capital Homogeneously Improve the Corporate Innovation: Evidence from China’s Higher Education Expansion in the Late 1990s

Author

Listed:
  • Meiling Kang

    (Department of World Economy, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Yucheng Li

    (Department of World Economy, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Zhongkuang Zhao

    (Department of World Economy, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Minjuan Zheng

    (Department of World Economy, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China)

  • Han Wu

    (State Grid Nanchang County Electric Power Supply Company, Nanchang 330200, China)

Abstract

The effect of human capital on corporate innovation varies with the distribution of human capital intensity among industries. To analyze this heterogenous effect, we utilized the variation of college enrollment expansion across different regions in China as an exogenous human capital shock. Using a sample of Chinese industrial enterprises from 1998 to 2008 and the difference-in-difference strategy, we found that industries with intensive human capital significantly increase the number of patent applications after the expansion policy. The effect is pronounced in invention patents and significantly positive in exporting and capital-intensive corporates. As for the channels, corporates in these industries are apt to adopt new technologies and increase R&D expenditures. Moreover, the agglomeration of new graduates accelerates knowledge spillover, thus promoting innovation in knowledge-intensive industries. In sum, this paper verifies the importance of policy intervention on skilled labor supply towards corporate innovation and supports the talent introduction plan of local government in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Meiling Kang & Yucheng Li & Zhongkuang Zhao & Minjuan Zheng & Han Wu, 2022. "Does Human Capital Homogeneously Improve the Corporate Innovation: Evidence from China’s Higher Education Expansion in the Late 1990s," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-19, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:19:p:12352-:d:927984
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/19/12352/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/19/12352/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Richard Hornbeck, 2012. "The Enduring Impact of the American Dust Bowl: Short- and Long-Run Adjustments to Environmental Catastrophe," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(4), pages 1477-1507, June.
    2. Bartelsman, Eric & Dobbelaere, Sabien & Peters, Bettina, 2013. "Allocation of Human Capital and Innovation at the Frontier: Firm-Level Evidence on Germany and the Netherlands," IZA Discussion Papers 7540, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Andersson, Roland & Quigley, John M. & Wilhelmsson, Mats, 2009. "Urbanization, productivity, and innovation: Evidence from investment in higher education," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 2-15, July.
    4. Nathan Nunn, 2007. "Relationship-Specificity, Incomplete Contracts, and the Pattern of Trade," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(2), pages 569-600.
    5. Aghion, Philippe & Howitt, Peter, 1992. "A Model of Growth through Creative Destruction," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 60(2), pages 323-351, March.
    6. Daron Acemoglu, 1998. "Why Do New Technologies Complement Skills? Directed Technical Change and Wage Inequality," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(4), pages 1055-1089.
    7. Marc J. Melitz, 2003. "The Impact of Trade on Intra-Industry Reallocations and Aggregate Industry Productivity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 71(6), pages 1695-1725, November.
    8. Bronwyn H. Hall & Dietmar Harhoff, 2012. "Recent Research on the Economics of Patents," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 4(1), pages 541-565, July.
    9. Romer, Paul, 1993. "Idea gaps and object gaps in economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 543-573, December.
    10. Lily H. Fang & Josh Lerner & Chaopeng Wu, 2017. "Intellectual Property Rights Protection, Ownership, and Innovation: Evidence from China," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 30(7), pages 2446-2477.
    11. Hans K. Hvide & Benjamin F. Jones, 2018. "University Innovation and the Professor's Privilege," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(7), pages 1860-1898, July.
    12. Li, Hongbin & Ma, Yueyuan & Meng, Lingsheng & Qiao, Xue & Shi, Xinzheng, 2017. "Skill complementarities and returns to higher education: Evidence from college enrollment expansion in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 10-26.
    13. Ethan Lewis, 2013. "Immigration and Production Technology," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 5(1), pages 165-191, May.
    14. David Atkin & Amit K. Khandelwal & Adam Osman, 2017. "Exporting and Firm Performance: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 132(2), pages 551-615.
    15. Romer, Paul M, 1990. "Endogenous Technological Change," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 71-102, October.
    16. Christian Dustmann & Albrecht Glitz, 2015. "How Do Industries and Firms Respond to Changes in Local Labor Supply?," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 33(3), pages 711-750.
    17. Rajan, Raghuram G & Zingales, Luigi, 1998. "Financial Dependence and Growth," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(3), pages 559-586, June.
    18. Rong, Zhao & Wu, Binzhen, 2020. "Scientific personnel reallocation and firm innovation: Evidence from China’s college expansion," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 709-728.
    19. Brandt, Loren & Van Biesebroeck, Johannes & Zhang, Yifan, 2012. "Creative accounting or creative destruction? Firm-level productivity growth in Chinese manufacturing," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 339-351.
    20. Antonio Ciccone & Elias Papaioannou, 2009. "Human Capital, the Structure of Production, and Growth," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 91(1), pages 66-82, February.
    21. Zhangkai Huang & Gordon M. Phillips & Jialun Yang & Yi Zhang, 2020. "Education and Innovation: The Long Shadow of the Cultural Revolution," NBER Working Papers 27107, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    22. Cowan, Robin & Zinovyeva, Natalia, 2013. "University effects on regional innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 788-800.
    23. Yi Che & Lei Zhang, 2018. "Human Capital, Technology Adoption and Firm Performance: Impacts of China's Higher Education Expansion in the Late 1990s," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(614), pages 2282-2320, September.
    24. Kang, Yankun & Liu, Ruiming, 2021. "Does the merger of universities promote their scientific research performance? Evidence from China," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(1).
    25. Shuaizhang Feng & Xiaoyu Xia, 2018. "Endogenous skill-biased technology adoption: Evidence from China's college enrollment expansion program," Working Papers 2018-099, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    26. Paul Beaudry & Mark Doms & Ethan Lewis, 2010. "Should the Personal Computer Be Considered a Technological Revolution? Evidence from U.S. Metropolitan Areas," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 118(5), pages 988-1036.
    27. Li, Shi & Whalley, John & Xing, Chunbing, 2014. "China's higher education expansion and unemployment of college graduates," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 567-582.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Feng, Shuaizhang & Xia, Xiaoyu, 2022. "Heterogeneous firm responses to increases in high-skilled workers: Evidence from China's college enrollment expansion," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    2. Shuaizhang Feng & Xiaoyu Xia, 2018. "Endogenous skill-biased technology adoption: Evidence from China's college enrollment expansion program," Working Papers 2018-099, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    3. Kong, Dongmin & Zhang, Bohui & Zhang, Jian, 2022. "Higher education and corporate innovation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    4. Du, Yan & Yan, Jie & Cao, Fangzhou & Li, Yifei & Zhou, Mao, 2023. "Higher education expansion and domestic value added in exports: Theory and evidence from China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    5. Chen, Binkai & Lin, Justin Yifu, 2021. "Development strategy, resource misallocation and economic performance," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 612-634.
    6. Drine, Imed, 2012. "Institutions, governance and technology catch-up in North Africa," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(6), pages 2155-2162.
    7. Fernandes, Ana M. & Mattoo, Aaditya & Nguyen, Huy & Schiffbauer, Marc, 2019. "The internet and Chinese exports in the pre-ali baba era," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 57-76.
    8. Philippe Aghion & Ufuk Akcigit & Antonin Bergeaud & Richard Blundell & David Hemous, 2019. "Innovation and Top Income Inequality," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 86(1), pages 1-45.
    9. Sasso, Simone & Ritzen, Jo, 2016. "Sectoral Cognitive Skills, R&D, and Productivity: A Cross-Country Cross-Sector Analysis," IZA Discussion Papers 10457, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Wang, Chuhong & Liu, Xingfei & Yan, Zizhong & Zhao, Yi, 2022. "Higher education expansion and crime: New evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    11. Chuanchuan Li & Lei Li & Haodan Tang & Yanyan Zheng & Fangming Gong, 2023. "Human Capital Development and Its Influence on FDI Withdrawal: An Empirical Analysis," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 31(5), pages 116-134, September.
    12. Julian Giovanni & Andrei A. Levchenko & Francesc Ortega, 2015. "A Global View Of Cross-Border Migration," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 13(1), pages 168-202, February.
    13. Abdin, Joynal & Sharma, Abhijit & Trivedi, Rohit & Wang, Chengang, 2024. "Financing constraints, intellectual property rights protection and incremental innovation: Evidence from transition economy firms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    14. Lamei Wu & Guifu Chen & Shuijun Peng, 2021. "Human Capital Expansion and Global Value Chain Upgrading: Firm‐level Evidence from China," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 29(5), pages 28-56, September.
    15. Ndubuisi, Gideon, 2020. "Fettered cross-border capital flows, external finance dependence, and international trade," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 206-216.
    16. Sivropoulos-Valero, Anna Alexandra, 2021. "Education and economic growth," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 114434, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    17. Anna Valero, 2021. "Education and economic growth," POID Working Papers 006, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    18. Xun Wang & Jingwen Yu, 2023. "Accumulating human capital: Corporate innovation and firm value," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 23(4), pages 750-776, December.
    19. Clò, Stefano & Florio, Massimo & Rentocchini, Francesco, 2020. "Firm ownership, quality of government and innovation: Evidence from patenting in the telecommunication industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(5).
    20. Dan Andrews & Chiara Criscuolo, 2013. "Knowledge-Based Capital, Innovation and Resource Allocation," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1046, OECD Publishing.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:19:p:12352-:d:927984. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.