IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0311621.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Why high-speed rail causes heterogeneous spatial patterns in firm innovation: Perspectives from intensive and extensive margins

Author

Listed:
  • Longfei Zheng
  • Huasheng Zhu
  • Kwok Yuen Fan
  • Zheng Chang

Abstract

This study examines the impact of high-speed rail (HSR) on corporate innovation in China, analyzing county-level patent applications. Utilizing difference-in-differences regression, we break down the overall impact of HSR connectivity on innovation into two categories: extensive margins, where a greater number of firms become innovative, and intensive margins, where individual firms increase their level of innovation. HSR access has increased patent applications, particularly in manufacturing and non-high-tech services, affecting both margins. However, in high-tech services, the impact is significant only on the extensive margin. Effects vary between urban areas and peripheral counties, with knowledge spillovers and brain drain as key predictors.

Suggested Citation

  • Longfei Zheng & Huasheng Zhu & Kwok Yuen Fan & Zheng Chang, 2024. "Why high-speed rail causes heterogeneous spatial patterns in firm innovation: Perspectives from intensive and extensive margins," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(10), pages 1-19, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0311621
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311621
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0311621
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0311621&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0311621?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. Dong, Xiaofang & Zheng, Siqi & Kahn, Matthew E., 2020. "The role of transportation speed in facilitating high skilled teamwork across cities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    2. Tan, Youchao & Liu, Xiumei & Sun, Hanwen & Zeng, Cheng(Colin), 2022. "Population ageing, labour market rigidity and corporate innovation: Evidence from China," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(2).
    3. Gabriel M Ahlfeldt & Arne Feddersen, 2018. "From periphery to core: measuring agglomeration effects using high-speed rail," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 18(2), pages 355-390.
    4. Krugman, Paul, 1991. "Increasing Returns and Economic Geography," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(3), pages 483-499, June.
    5. Michael William-Patrick Fortunato, 2014. "Supporting rural entrepreneurship: a review of conceptual developments from research to practice," Community Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(4), pages 387-408, October.
    6. Xielin Liu & Sylvia Schwaag Serger & Ulrike Tagscherer & Amber Y. Chang, 2017. "Beyond catch-up—can a new innovation policy help China overcome the middle income trap?," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 44(5), pages 656-669.
    7. Haifeng Qian, 2017. "Skills and knowledge-based entrepreneurship: evidence from US cities," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(10), pages 1469-1482, October.
    8. Philippe Aghion & Xavier Jaravel, 2015. "Knowledge Spillovers, Innovation and Growth," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 0(583), pages 533-573, March.
    9. Duan, Liaoliao & Sun, Weizeng & Zheng, Siqi, 2020. "Transportation network and venture capital mobility: An analysis of air travel and high-speed rail in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    10. Hasan, Iftekhar & Tucci, Christopher L., 2010. "The innovation-economic growth nexus: Global evidence," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 1264-1276, December.
    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. Kang, Meiling & Li, Yucheng & Zhao, Zhongkuang & Song, Min & Yi, Jun, 2023. "Travel costs and inter-city collaborative innovation: Evidence of high-speed railway in China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 286-302.
    2. Jiao, Jingjuan & Zhao, Hongyu & Lyu, Guowei, 2024. "How does high-speed rail affect off-site investments? Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    3. Yanyan Gao & Xinping Wang, 2023. "Chinese agriculture in the age of high‐speed rail: Effects on agricultural value added and food output," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(2), pages 387-405, March.
    4. Xiaoqian Liu & Han Li & Yongzhi Sun & Chang’an Wang, 2022. "High‐speed railway and urban productivity disparities," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 680-701, June.
    5. Zheng, Longfei & Wu, Shuping, 2024. "Remote high-speed rail stations, urban land supply, and the emergence of new economic activities," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    6. Chang, Zheng & Zheng, Longfei, 2022. "High-speed rail and the spatial pattern of new firm births: Evidence from China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 373-386.
    7. Lisha Wang & Jian Wang & Xuepeng Qian, 2023. "Does the bullet train exacerbate urban shrinkage? Lessons from Japan," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 102(1), pages 187-212, February.
    8. Li, Xiang & Cheng, Zhonghua, 2022. "Does high-speed rail improve urban carbon emission efficiency in China?," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    9. Lan, Xiujuan & Hu, Zheneng & Wen, Chuanhao, 2023. "Does the opening of high-speed rail enhance urban entrepreneurial activity? Evidence from China," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    10. Baek, Jisun & Park, WooRam, 2022. "The impact of improved passenger transport system on manufacturing plant productivity," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    11. Fan, Xiaomin & Xu, Yingzhi, 2023. "Does high-speed railway promote urban innovation? Evidence from China," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    12. Wang, Yunmin & Cao, Guohua & Yan, Youliang & Wang, Jingjing, 2022. "Does high-speed rail stimulate cross-city technological innovation collaboration? Evidence from China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 119-131.
    13. Na Li & Haiyan Lu & Yongxin Lv, 2022. "High-Speed Railway Facilities, Intercity Accessibility and Urban Innovation Level—Evidence from Cities in Three Chinese Megacity Regions," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-16, July.
    14. Yoshifumi Konishi & Akari Ono, 2024. "Do Winners Win More from Transport Megaprojects? Evidence from the Great Seto Bridge in Japan," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2024-018, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    15. Wu, Bingyu & Levinson, David M., 2024. "A multi-modal analysis of the effect of transport on population and productivity in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    16. Damiaan Persyn & Javier Barbero & Jorge Díaz‐Lanchas & Patrizio Lecca & Giovanni Mandras & Simone Salotti, 2023. "The ripple effects of large‐scale transport infrastructure investment," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(4), pages 755-792, September.
    17. Yahong Liu & Daisheng Tang & Tao Bu & Xinyuan Wang, 2022. "The spatial employment effect of high-speed railway: quasi-natural experimental evidence from China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 69(2), pages 333-359, October.
    18. Xuechen Meng & Yaqi Sun & Xiaoshu Xu, 2024. "A Blessing or a Curse? Highway Connection and the Entry of Polluting Firms in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-15, May.
    19. Hiau Looi Kee & Enze Xie & Xu,Mingzhi, 2024. "Firm Linkages and Domestic Value Added in Exports : Moving up the Global Value Chains with High-Speed Railways," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10985, The World Bank.
    20. Haoran Zhang & Ying Chai & Xuyu Yang & Wenli Zhao, 2022. "High-Speed Rail and Urban Growth Disparity: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-13, July.

    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:pone00:0311621. 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.