IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v13y2024i3p319-d1350115.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Promoting Urban Innovation through Smart Cities: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment in China

Author

Listed:
  • Mingbo Ji

    (School of Economics, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China)

  • Mengyun Jin

    (School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China)

  • Lingyun Chen

    (Administrative Services Center, Sichuan Provincial Water Resources Department, Chengdu 610017, China)

  • Yuwei Liu

    (School of Business, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, China)

  • Yihao Tian

    (School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China)

Abstract

It is of great theoretical and practical significance to investigate the influence of intelligent city construction on urban innovation. Based on the data of 238 cities in China from 2006 to 2019, this paper utilizes the staggered difference-in-differences (staggered DID) model and the mediating effect model to examine the impact and mechanisms of smart city construction on urban innovation. We find that China’s smart city pilot policies significantly promote urban innovation. Mechanism analysis shows that this innovation promotion effect acts through improving urban informatization, government financial expenditure on science and technology, and the upgrading of the city’s industrial structure. Further analysis shows that smart city construction has a stronger promoting effect on innovation in cities of a larger scale, that located in the eastern region, and have a lower level of science and education. Overall, our findings provide new insights into urban innovation and objectively assess the impact of smart city construction in China.

Suggested Citation

  • Mingbo Ji & Mengyun Jin & Lingyun Chen & Yuwei Liu & Yihao Tian, 2024. "Promoting Urban Innovation through Smart Cities: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment in China," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:3:p:319-:d:1350115
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/319/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/319/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cai, Xiqian & Lu, Yi & Wu, Mingqin & Yu, Linhui, 2016. "Does environmental regulation drive away inbound foreign direct investment? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 73-85.
    2. Paskaleva, Krassimira & Cooper, Ian, 2018. "Open innovation and the evaluation of internet-enabled public services in smart cities," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 4-14.
    3. Leonid Kogan & Dimitris Papanikolaou & Amit Seru & Noah Stoffman, 2017. "Technological Innovation, Resource Allocation, and Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 132(2), pages 665-712.
    4. Feldman, Maryann P. & Audretsch, David B., 1999. "Innovation in cities:: Science-based diversity, specialization and localized competition," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 409-429, February.
    5. Ying Xiong & Shengsheng Li, 2022. "Can the Establishment of University Science and Technology Parks Promote Urban Innovation? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-19, August.
    6. Wang, Jinxiu & Deng, Kun, 2022. "Impact and mechanism analysis of smart city policy on urban innovation: Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 574-587.
    7. Lucas, Robert Jr., 1988. "On the mechanics of economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-42, July.
    8. Margarita Angelidou, 2017. "The Role of Smart City Characteristics in the Plans of Fifteen Cities," Journal of Urban Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(4), pages 3-28, October.
    9. Leite, Emilene, 2022. "Innovation networks for social impact: An empirical study on multi-actor collaboration in projects for smart cities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 325-337.
    10. Ferraris, Alberto & Belyaeva, Zhanna & Bresciani, Stefano, 2020. "The role of universities in the Smart City innovation: Multistakeholder integration and engagement perspectives," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 163-171.
    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. Matthias Firgo & Peter Mayerhofer, 2015. "Wissens-Spillovers und regionale Entwicklung - welche strukturpolitische Ausrichtung optimiert des Wachstum?," Working Paper Reihe der AK Wien - Materialien zu Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft 144, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik.
    2. Carlino, Gerald & Kerr, William R., 2015. "Agglomeration and Innovation," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 349-404, Elsevier.
    3. Huasheng Song & Chao Zhang, 2024. "Land regulations, innovation and productivity: Firm‐level evidence from China," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(4), pages 1387-1426, April.
    4. Diemer, Andreas & Regan, Tanner, 2022. "No inventor is an island: Social connectedness and the geography of knowledge flows in the US," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(2).
    5. Duranton, Gilles & Puga, Diego, 2014. "The Growth of Cities," Handbook of Economic Growth, in: Philippe Aghion & Steven Durlauf (ed.), Handbook of Economic Growth, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 5, pages 781-853, Elsevier.
    6. Hong, Junjie & Shi, Fangyuan & Zheng, Yuhan, 2023. "Does network infrastructure construction reduce energy intensity? Based on the “Broadband China” strategy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    7. David Audretsch & Max Keilbach, 2004. "Entrepreneurship Capital and Economic Performance," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(8), pages 949-959.
    8. Marcus Berliant & Chia-Ming Yu, 2015. "Locational Signaling And Agglomeration," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(5), pages 757-773, November.
    9. Peter Wostner, 2003. "Regional Disparities in Transition Economies: the case of Slovenia," SCIENZE REGIONALI, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2003(1).
    10. Roberta CAPELLO, 2012. "Regional economics: theoretical achievements and challenges," Timisoara Journal of Economics, West University of Timisoara, Romania, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 5(18), pages 313-335.
    11. Yuping Deng & Yanrui Wu & Helian Xu, 2022. "Emission Reduction and Value-added Export Nexus at Firm Level," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 22-19, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    12. Zoltán J. Ács & Pontus Braunerhjelm & David B. Audretsch & Bo Carlsson, 2015. "The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 7, pages 129-144, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. Marta Foddi & Raffaele Paci & Alessandra Colombelli, 2011. "The knowledge regions in the enlarged Europe," ERSA conference papers ersa11p1140, European Regional Science Association.
    14. Aurélie LALANNE & Guillaume POUYANNE, 2012. "Ten years of metropolization in economics: a bibliometric approach (In French)," Cahiers du GREThA (2007-2019) 2012-11, Groupe de Recherche en Economie Théorique et Appliquée (GREThA).
    15. Tubiana, Matteo & Miguelez, Ernest & Moreno, Rosina, 2022. "In knowledge we trust: Learning-by-interacting and the productivity of inventors," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    16. Tsvetkova, Alexandra, 2016. "Do diversity, creativity and localized competition promote endogenous firm formation? Evidence from a high-tech US industry," MPRA Paper 72349, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. David Audretsch & Taylor Aldridge & Adam Lederer, 2010. "SMEs, Industry Dynamics and Economic Growth," Chapters, in: Jean-Luc Gaffard & Evens Salies (ed.), Innovation, Economic Growth and the Firm, chapter 3, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    18. Suzanne Kok, 2013. "Returns to Communication in Specialised and Diversified US Cities," CPB Discussion Paper 236.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    19. Joana Mendonça & Christoph Grimpe, 2016. "Skills and regional entrepreneurship capital formation: a comparison between Germany and Portugal," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(6), pages 1440-1456, December.
    20. Robert J. Stimson, 2014. "Proximity and endogenous regional development," Chapters, in: André Torre & Frédéric Wallet (ed.), Regional Development and Proximity Relations, chapter 1, pages 47-93, Edward Elgar Publishing.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:3:p:319-:d:1350115. 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.