IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i17p10707-d899947.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Can the Establishment of University Science and Technology Parks Promote Urban Innovation? Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Ying Xiong

    (School of Business Administration, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China)

  • Shengsheng Li

    (School of Economics, Anhui University, Hefei 230610, China)

Abstract

China’s university science and technology parks (USTPs) were established with the aim of closely combining the scientific and educational intellectual resources of universities with the advantageous innovation resources of the market to form a fusion of industry and education. This paper uses the establishment of national university science and technology parks (NUSTPs) as a “quasi-natural experiment.” We used the panel data of 293 cities from 1999 to 2017 as a sample to analyze the impact of NUSTP establishment on urban innovation, using the difference-in-difference method. The research found the following: (1) The establishment of NUSTPs significantly improves the level of urban innovation, and the conclusion is still valid after a series of robustness tests. The urban innovation effect of the establishment of NUSTPs is dynamic, non-lagging, and continuous. (2) The innovation effect differs significantly, depending on the city region, the city scale, and the university level. Specifically, the innovation effect of the establishment of NUSTPs is significant for cities in middle and western cities, large-scale cities, and cities with double first-class and local universities setting up USTPs, while the effect is not significant for cities in eastern cities, small- and medium-scale cities, and non-double first-class and ministry-affiliated institutions. (3) The impact mechanism test shows that NUSTPs contribute to urban innovation by increasing the city’s human capital, enhancing the degree of industrial agglomeration, and creating an innovation space effect.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:17:p:10707-:d:899947
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/17/10707/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/17/10707/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Albahari, Alberto & Pérez-Canto, Salvador & Barge-Gil, Andrés & Modrego, Aurelia, 2017. "Technology Parks versus Science Parks: Does the university make the difference?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 13-28.
    2. Kelsi G. Hobbs & Albert N. Link & John T. Scott, 2017. "Science and technology parks: an annotated and analytical literature review," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 42(4), pages 957-976, August.
    3. Dmitry Arkhangelsky & Susan Athey & David A. Hirshberg & Guido W. Imbens & Stefan Wager, 2021. "Synthetic Difference-in-Differences," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 111(12), pages 4088-4118, December.
    4. Thorsten Beck & Ross Levine & Alexey Levkov, 2010. "Big Bad Banks? The Winners and Losers from Bank Deregulation in the United States," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 65(5), pages 1637-1667, October.
    5. Enrico Moretti, 2004. "Workers' Education, Spillovers, and Productivity: Evidence from Plant-Level Production Functions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(3), pages 656-690, June.
    6. Lei Zhang & Yuyu Chen & Zongyan He, 2018. "The effect of investment tax incentives: evidence from China’s value-added tax reform," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 25(4), pages 913-945, August.
    7. Freeman, C., 1991. "Networks of innovators: A synthesis of research issues," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(5), pages 499-514, October.
    8. Wei Chi & Xiaoye Qian, 2010. "The role of education in regional innovation activities: spatial evidence from China," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(4), pages 396-419.
    9. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    10. Lucas, Robert Jr., 1988. "On the mechanics of economic development," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 3-42, July.
    11. Goodman-Bacon, Andrew, 2021. "Difference-in-differences with variation in treatment timing," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 225(2), pages 254-277.
    12. Eric Zwick & James Mahon, 2017. "Tax Policy and Heterogeneous Investment Behavior," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(1), pages 217-248, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shengsheng Li & Yuanyuan Wang & Hasan Dincer & Serhat Yuksel & Dongyao Yu, 2023. "The Effects of New Urbanization Pilot City Policies on Urban Innovation: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-15, July.
    2. 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.

    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. Joilson Dias & Florian Schumacher & Edinaldo Tebaldi, 2014. "Geographic and sector externalities from highly qualified human capital: the importance of the business service sector," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(5), pages 329-334, March.
    2. Youngjin Woo & Min Jiang & Euijune Kim, 2021. "Analyzing return migration of high school graduates from lagging regions," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 309-319, December.
    3. Changteng Nie & Jianxiang Wan, 2023. "How Does Internet Infrastructure Construction Affect the Urban–Rural Income Gap? Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment in China," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 23(3), pages 317-337, July.
    4. Li, Xing & Shen, Guangjun, 2023. "Do tax incentives decelerate corporate financialization? Evidence from the VAT reform in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    5. Corrocher, Nicoletta & Lamperti, Francesco & Mavilia, Roberto, 2019. "Do science parks sustain or trigger innovation? Empirical evidence from Italy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 140-151.
    6. Gerald A. Carlino, 2014. "New ideas in the air: cities and economic growth," Business Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, issue Q4, pages 1-7.
    7. Guy Michaels, 2011. "The Long Term Consequences of Resource‐Based Specialisation," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 121(551), pages 31-57, March.
    8. Jellal, Mohamed, 2014. "Education private and social returns an optimal taxation policy," MPRA Paper 57190, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Bermperoglou, Dimitrios & Deli, Yota & Kalyvitis, Sarantis, 2019. "Investment tax incentives and their big time-to-build fiscal multiplier," Kiel Working Papers 2143, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    10. Zeng, Jinli & Zhang, Jie, 2022. "Education policies and development with threshold human capital externalities," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    11. Uwe Sunde & Thomas Dohmen & Benjamin Enke & Armin Falkbriq & David Huffman & Gerrit Meyerheim, 2022. "Patience and Comparative Development [How Large Are Human-capital Externalities? Evidence from Compulsory Schooling Laws]," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 89(5), pages 2806-2840.
    12. 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.
    13. Alberto Albahari & Magnus Klofsten & Juan Carlos Rubio-Romero, 2019. "Science and Technology Parks: a study of value creation for park tenants," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 1256-1272, August.
    14. Thu Hien DAO & Frédéric DOCQUIER & Mathilde MAUREL & Pierre SCHAUS, 2017. "Global Migration in the 20th and 21st Centuries: the Unstoppable Force of Demography," Working Paper 96d89f28-0e80-4703-9b33-6, Agence française de développement.
    15. Michal burzynski & Christoph Deuster & Frédéric Docquier, 2018. "The Geography of Talent: Development Implications and Long-Run Prospects," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2018002, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    16. 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.
    17. Di, Wenhua & Pattison, Nathaniel, 2023. "Industry Specialization and Small Business Lending," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    18. 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).
    19. Laura Lecluyse & Mirjam Knockaert & André Spithoven, 2019. "The contribution of science parks: a literature review and future research agenda," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 559-595, April.
    20. João Pereira & Aurora Galego, 2014. "Inter-Regional Wage Differentials in Portugal: An Analysis Across the Wage Distribution," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(9), pages 1529-1546, September.

    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:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:17:p:10707-:d:899947. 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.