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What determines misallocation in innovation? A study of regional innovation in China

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  • Li, Hao-Chung
  • Lee, Wen-Chieh
  • Ko, Bo-Ting

Abstract

This paper sounds an alarm about disparate efficiencies among China's regions in the allocation of innovation inputs. A theoretical measure of misallocation is adopted to gauge the distortions that exacerbate the inefficiency of resource allocations across geographic innovation units; these units’ usage of innovative inputs reveals the level of misallocations prevalent within the Chinese economy. The measure of innovation misallocation is computed by utilizing a micro dataset based on information from the China Statistical Yearbook for Science and Technology (CSYST) from 1999 to 2012. In addition, this paper probes the factors that co-move with China's innovation resource misallocations. We find that, although an advanced financial market is beneficial to innovation efficiency in China, both the government's extensive development of transportation infrastructure and the preferential treatment given to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) negatively correlate with innovation efficiency. We conclude that emerging economies that are experiencing R&D input expansion, such as China, should be cautious in ensuring efficient resource allocations.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Hao-Chung & Lee, Wen-Chieh & Ko, Bo-Ting, 2017. "What determines misallocation in innovation? A study of regional innovation in China," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 221-237.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jmacro:v:52:y:2017:i:c:p:221-237
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmacro.2017.04.005
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    3. Yidan Liang, 2023. "Capital and labour distortion in China: a systematic literature review using HistCite," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(2), pages 1759-1784, June.
    4. Hubner, Sylvia & Frese, Michael & Song, Zhaoli & Tripathi, Neha & Kaschner, Tamara & Le Kong, Xing, 2022. "An Asia-centric approach to team innovation: Cultural differences in exploration and exploitation behavior," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 408-421.
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    8. Boeing, Philipp & Eberle, Jonathan & Howell, Anthony, 2022. "The impact of China's R&D subsidies on R&D investment, technological upgrading and economic growth," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    9. Song Wang & Jiexin Wang & Chenqi Wei & Xueli Wang & Fei Fan, 2021. "Collaborative innovation efficiency: From within cities to between cities—Empirical analysis based on innovative cities in China," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 1330-1360, September.
    10. Xing Gao & Keyu Zhai, 2021. "Spatial Mechanisms of Regional Innovation Mobility in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 156(1), pages 247-270, July.
    11. Laiqun Jin & Changwei Mo & Bochao Zhang & Bing Yu, 2018. "What Is the Focus of Structural Reform in China?—Comparison of the Factor Misallocation Degree within the Manufacturing Industry with a Unified Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-19, November.
    12. Abdol Majid Saadat Nezhad & Tahmoures Sohrabi & Nasrollah Shadnoosh & Abbas Toloie Eshlaghy, 2017. "A New Approach to Challenges of Venture Capital in Financing the Industrial Clusters through Cooperative Models and Venture Funds in Iran," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 7(6), pages 111-119.
    13. Yu, Chin-Hsien & Zhao, Jinsong & Qin, Ping & Wang, Shinn-Shyr & Lee, Wen-Chieh, 2022. "Comparison of misallocation between the Chinese thermal power and hydropower electricity industries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Resource misallocation; Innovation efficiency; Financial market; Infrastructure investment; Preferential treatment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O32 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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