IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0278943.html

Basic research investment, innovation capability improvement, and economic growth efficiency

Author

Listed:
  • Yichen Jiang
  • Bin Xu
  • Li Fang
  • Boyue Sun
  • Liyan Hu
  • Wang Hui

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between the proportion of basic research investment in R&D expenditure and regional economic growth efficiency and its influence path. A panel of data from 31 China’s provincial was analysed by the fixed-effects model over 2009 to 2019. Empirical results highlight that: (1) the increase in the proportion of basic research investment has a significant promoting effect on regional economic growth efficiency, but it presents an "inverted U-shaped" impact path. Meanwhile, the threshold effect model test results reveal that basic research investment plays a more significant role in promotion when the per capita income level exceeds a certain threshold. (2) The test results of the mediating effect model indicate that the improvement of the level of human capital is the intermediate channel through which the investment in basic research affects regional economic growth efficiency, while the mediating effect of the increase of knowledge storage on the process of the investment in basic research affecting regional economic growth efficiency is not supported by data. Potential policy measures are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Yichen Jiang & Bin Xu & Li Fang & Boyue Sun & Liyan Hu & Wang Hui, 2022. "Basic research investment, innovation capability improvement, and economic growth efficiency," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(12), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0278943
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278943
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0278943
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0278943&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0278943?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gersbach, Hans & Sorger, Gerhard & Amon, Christian, 2018. "Hierarchical growth: Basic and applied research," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 434-459.
    2. Salter, Ammon J. & Martin, Ben R., 2001. "The economic benefits of publicly funded basic research: a critical review," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 509-532, March.
    3. Romer, Paul M, 1990. "Endogenous Technological Change," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 71-102, October.
    4. Mansfield, Edwin, 1980. "Basic Research and Productivity Increase in Manufacturing," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(5), pages 863-873, December.
    5. Argentino Pessoa, 2005. "“Ideas” driven growth: the OECD evidence," Portuguese Economic Journal, Springer;Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, vol. 4(1), pages 46-67, April.
    6. Aghion, Philippe & Howitt, Peter, 1992. "A Model of Growth through Creative Destruction," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 60(2), pages 323-351, March.
    7. Sheereen Fauzel & Boopen Seetanah & R. V. Sannasee, 2015. "Productivity spillovers of FDI in the manufacturing sector of Mauritius. evidence from a dynamic framework," Journal of Developing Areas, Tennessee State University, College of Business, vol. 49(2), pages 295-316, April-Jun.
    8. Marco Mele & Cosimo Magazzino & Nicolas Schneider & Antonia Rosa Gurrieri & Hêriş Golpira, 2022. "Innovation, income, and waste disposal operations in Korea: evidence from a spectral granger causality analysis and artificial neural networks experiments," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(2), pages 427-459, July.
    9. Michael E. Porter & Scott Stern, 2000. "Measuring the "Ideas" Production Function: Evidence from International Patent Output," NBER Working Papers 7891, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Daron Acemoglu & Pascual Restrepo, 2018. "Artificial Intelligence, Automation and Work," Boston University - Department of Economics - Working Papers Series dp-298, Boston University - Department of Economics.
    11. Beise, Marian & Stahl, Harald, 1999. "Public research and industrial innovations in Germany," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 397-422, April.
    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. Prettner, Klaus & Werner, Katharina, 2016. "Why it pays off to pay us well: The impact of basic research on economic growth and welfare," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(5), pages 1075-1090.
    2. Daniel Gama e Colombo & Jorge Martinez-Vazquez, 2018. "Fiscal Decentralization and Public R&D Policy: A Country Panel Analysis," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper1820, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    3. Andrea Bonaccorsi & Cinzia Daraio, 2013. "Knowledge spillover effects at the sub-regional level. Theory and estimation," DIAG Technical Reports 2013-13, Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Universita' degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza".
    4. Neves, Pedro Cunha & Sequeira, Tiago Neves, 2018. "Spillovers in the production of knowledge: A meta-regression analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 750-767.
    5. Werner, Katharina & Prettner, Klaus, 2014. "Human capital, basic research, and applied research: three dimensions of human knowledge and their differential growth effects," VfS Annual Conference 2014 (Hamburg): Evidence-based Economic Policy 100448, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    6. Pegkas, Panagiotis & Staikouras, Christos & Tsamadias, Constantinos, 2019. "Does research and development expenditure impact innovation? Evidence from the European Union countries," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 41(5), pages 1005-1025.
    7. Jože P. Damijan & Črt Kostevc & Matija Rojec, 2011. "Innovation and Firms’ Productivity Growth in Slovenia: Sensitivity of Results to Sectoral Heterogeneity and to Estimation Method," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Peter Nijkamp & Iulia Siedschlag (ed.), Innovation, Growth and Competitiveness, chapter 0, pages 165-193, Springer.
    8. Prettner, Klaus, 2012. "Public education, technological change and economic prosperity: semi-endogenous growth revisited," VfS Annual Conference 2012 (Goettingen): New Approaches and Challenges for the Labor Market of the 21st Century 65414, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    9. Xiong, Ailun & Xia, Senmao & Ye, Zhen Peter & Cao, Dongmei & Jing, Yanguo & Li, Hongyi, 2020. "Can innovation really bring economic growth? The role of social filter in China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 50-61.
    10. Pascal Stiefenhofer, 2025. "Artificial General Intelligence and the Social Contract: A Dynamic Political Economy Model," Journal of Economic Analysis, Anser Press, vol. 4(3), pages 142-183, September.
    11. Beck, Mathias & Lopes-Bento, Cindy & Schenker-Wicki, Andrea, 2016. "Radical or incremental: Where does R&D policy hit?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 869-883.
    12. Christopher Laincz & Pietro Peretto, 2006. "Scale effects in endogenous growth theory: an error of aggregation not specification," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 263-288, September.
    13. Ioannis Voutsinas & Constantinos Tsamadias & Elias Carayannis & Christos Staikouras, 2018. "Does research and development expenditure impact innovation? theory, policy and practice insights from the Greek experience," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 159-171, February.
    14. Gersbach, Hans & Schetter, Ulrich & Schmassmann, Samuel, 2023. "From local to global: A theory of public basic research in a globalized world," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    15. Clò, Stefano & Florio, Massimo & Rentocchini, Francesco, 2020. "Firm ownership, quality of government and innovation: Evidence from patenting in the telecommunication industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(5).
    16. Banerjee, Rajabrata & Gupta, Kartick, 2021. "Do country or firm-specific factors matter more to R&D spending in firms?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 75-95.
    17. Del Bo, Chiara F., 2016. "The rate of return to investment in R&D: The case of research infrastructures," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 26-37.
    18. Gersbach, Hans & Komarov, Evgenij, 2025. "Research bubbles," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    19. Alexandre Almeida & Aurora A.C. Teixeira, 2007. "Does Patenting negatively impact on R&D investment?An international panel data assessment," FEP Working Papers 255, Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto.
    20. Thomas H. W. Ziesemer, 2021. "The Effects of R&D Subsidies and Publicly Performed R&D on Business R&D: A Survey," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 236(1), pages 171-205, March.

    More about this item

    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:plo:pone00:0278943. 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: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    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.