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The role of proximity to universities for corporate patenting: Provincial evidence from China

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  • Liu, Wan-Hsin

Abstract

This paper investigates whether proximity to universities matters for corporate patenting in Chinese provinces. The investigation is based on estimating regional knowledge production functions using a Chinese provincial dataset for the years from 2000 to 2008. Geographic proximity of companies to universities is taken as a key element to measure firms' accessibility to university research. In addition, quality-adjusted accessibility measures are considered in extended models to take into account quality difference in university research. The results suggest the existence of spatial academic effects on corporate patenting activities in China as found in the previous literature for Western economies. In China, however, these effects are especially strong for realising technologically less demanding non-invention corporate patents than for invention corporate patents. Moreover, companies' geographic proximity to universities dominates over university research quality difference for determining the relevance of universities as knowledge sources for companies. Extended models are estimated for robustness checks which ascertain the main results.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Wan-Hsin, 2012. "The role of proximity to universities for corporate patenting: Provincial evidence from China," Kiel Working Papers 1796, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ifwkwp:1796
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    Cited by:

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    2. Dongwoo Kang & Sandy Dall’erba, 2016. "An Examination of the Role of Local and Distant Knowledge Spillovers on the US Regional Knowledge Creation," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 39(4), pages 355-385, October.
    3. Ren Lu & Torger Reve & Jing Huang & Ze Jian & Mei Chen, 2018. "A Literature Review Of Cluster Theory: Are Relations Among Clusters Important?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(4), pages 1201-1220, September.
    4. Xiong, Xi & Yang, Guo-liang & Guan, Zhong-cheng, 2020. "A parallel DEA-based method for evaluating parallel independent subunits with heterogeneous outputs," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3).
    5. Qiu, Shumin & Liu, Xielin & Gao, Taishan, 2017. "Do emerging countries prefer local knowledge or distant knowledge? Spillover effect of university collaborations on local firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(7), pages 1299-1311.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    spatial proximity; logsum accessibility; university; corporate patenting; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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