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Spatial spillovers and value chain spillovers: evaluating regional R&D efficiency and its spillover effects in China

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Abstract

Research and development (R&D) efficiency assessment is an effective way for policymakers to develop strategies to increase the beneficial impacts of R&D. This study measures regional R&D efficiency from a multi-stage R&D perspective. It examines the spatial spillover effects and value chain spillover effects of R&D using panel data from 2009 to 2016 for 30 provinces in China. By estimating a spatial Durbin model, we find evidence of strong spatial dependence in R&D efficiency in China. With respect to R&D value chain effects, we find that R&D value chain spillovers took place intra-regionally but not inter-regionally. This finding indicates that in a knowledge flow context, there are two-way R&D value chain spillovers in which the forward spillover effects are stronger than the backward spillover effects. This finding adds important new knowledge to research on knowledge spillovers: distinguishing between value chain spillovers and spatial spillovers opens new avenues for future empirical inquiries.

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Acknowledgements

Funding was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41471108) and Peak Discipline Construction Project of Education at East China Normal University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Educational Policy Research, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China

    Xionghe Qin & Debin Du

  2. School of Urban and Regional Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China

    Xionghe Qin & Debin Du

  3. Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA

    Xionghe Qin & Mei-Po Kwan

  4. Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Utrecht University, 3584 CB, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Mei-Po Kwan

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  1. Xionghe Qin
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Correspondence to Debin Du.

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Qin, X., Du, D. & Kwan, MP. Spatial spillovers and value chain spillovers: evaluating regional R&D efficiency and its spillover effects in China. Scientometrics 119, 721–747 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-019-03054-7

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