Innovation network structure, government R&D investment and regional innovation efficiency: Evidence from China

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 18; no. 5; p. e0286096
• Main Authors: Cao, Xiao-Yan, Wu, Xiang-Li, Wang, Li-Min
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 22.05.2023
• Subjects: Analysis; Biology and Life Sciences; China; Commercialization; Competitive advantage; Computer and Information Sciences; Cooperation; Data envelopment analysis; Economic aspects; Economic Development; Efficiency; Forecasts and trends; Government; Growth rate; Industrial research; Industrialized nations; Innovations; Investments; Management; People and Places; R&D; Regions; Research & development; Research & development expenditures; Social networks; Social organization; Social Sciences; Technology and civilization; China; Beijing China; Yangtze River Delta; United States > US; Pearl River (China)
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286096

Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2019, this paper uses a two-stage DEA model to measure regional innovation efficiency, then non-parametric test is used to examine the impact of innovation network structure and government R&D investment on regional innovation efficiency. The results show that, at the provincial level, innovation efficiency of regional R&D is not necessarily in direct proportion to the innovation efficiency in the commercialization stage. Commercialization efficiency is not necessarily high in provinces with high technical R&D efficiency. At the national level, the innovation efficiency gap between our country's R&D and commercialization stage is small, indicating that the development of the national innovation efficiency is more and more balanced. Innovation network structure can promote the R&D efficiency, but has no significant effect on the commercialization efficiency. Government R&D investment helps to improve the R&D efficiency, but it is not conducive to the improvement of commercialization efficiency. The interaction between innovation network structure and government R&D investment will have compound effects on regional innovation efficiency; the region with underdeveloped innovation network structure can increase the government R&D investment to make it have a higher level of R&D. This paper provides insights into how to improve innovation efficiency in different social networks and policy environments.