IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0324587.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The complex impact of China’s science and technology talent policies on key core technologies R&D

Author

Listed:
  • Pu Miao
  • Xiaoyan Zhang
  • Ning Zhang

Abstract

Key core technologies have become the focal point of global technological competition. For latecomer countries, formulating effective science and technology talent policies to stimulate researchers’ motivation and innovation potential is crucial for mastering these key technologies. This study uses a sample of 1363 publicly listed enterprises in China from 2011 to 2023 to investigate the impact of science and technology talent policies on key core technologies R&D in enterprises. The findings are as follows: (1) Science and technology talent policies significantly promote key core technologies R&D; however, their impact is stronger on non-key core technologies R&D and utility model R&D than on key core technologies R&D. Further study found that non-key core technologies R&D and utility model R&D have a crowding-out effect on key core technologies R&D to a certain extent, and the effect of the former is stronger than that of the latter. (2) As the intensity of policy support increases, its impact on key core technologies R&D also strengthens. Moreover, policies related to talent subsidies, innovation incentives, talent introduction, and high-level talent innovation support all facilitate key core technologies R&D, although the effects vary across these policy types. Moreover, there is no interaction between talent subsidies and innovation incentives, or between talent subsidies and high-level talent innovation support, but there is an offsetting effect between the other policies. (3) The positive impact of science and technology talent policies exhibits a time lag, generally ranging from 4 to 5 years. During this lag period, the effect on the number of patent declines by 8.475% to 28.283%, while the impact on the number of citations of patents decreases by 55.696% to 73.214%. (4) The significant promotional effect of science and technology talent policies is most pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises and those with high R&D investment, but such policies do not have a notable impact on state-owned enterprises or those with low R&D investment. The study demonstrates that latecomer countries can effectively promote key core technologies R&D by designing science and technology talent policies. Based on these findings, recommendations are made to enhance the support intensity of talent policies, optimize the synergistic effects of these policies, extend the duration of policy support, and implement differentiated measures for policy execution.

Suggested Citation

  • Pu Miao & Xiaoyan Zhang & Ning Zhang, 2025. "The complex impact of China’s science and technology talent policies on key core technologies R&D," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(5), pages 1-37, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0324587
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0324587
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0324587
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0324587&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0324587?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. Hall, Bronwyn H. & Lerner, Josh, 2010. "The Financing of R&D and Innovation," Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, in: Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 609-639, Elsevier.
    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. Atal, Vidya & Bar, Talia & Gordon, Sidartha, 2016. "Project selection: Commitment and competition," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 30-48.
    2. Cowling, Marc & Ughetto, Elisa & Lee, Neil, 2018. "The innovation debt penalty: Cost of debt, loan default, and the effects of a public loan guarantee on high-tech firms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 166-176.
    3. Ufuk Akcigit & Douglas Hanley & Stefanie Stantcheva, 2022. "Optimal Taxation and R&D Policies," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 90(2), pages 645-684, March.
    4. Tan, Xiujie & Yan, Yaxue & Dong, Yuyang, 2022. "Peer effect in green credit induced green innovation: An empirical study from China's Green Credit Guidelines," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    5. Jürgen Janger & Michael Böheim & Martin Falk & Rahel Falk & Werner Hölzl & Daniela Kletzan-Slamanig & Michael Peneder & Andreas Reinstaller & Fabian Unterlass & Gunther Tichy, 2010. "Research and Innovation Policy after the Crisis," Austrian Economic Quarterly, WIFO, vol. 15(4), pages 321-335, December.
    6. Yang Li & Yuanzhu Wang & Rajah Rasiah, 2023. "Research on the Influence of Tax Incentives and Financing Constraints on NEEQ Enterprises’ Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-19, February.
    7. Pietro Moncada-Paternò-Castello, 2022. "Top R&D investors, structural change and the R&D growth performance of young and old firms," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(1), pages 1-33, March.
    8. Jean Acheson & Rory Malone, 2020. "Respect Your Elders: Evidence from Ireland’s R&D Tax Credit Reform," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 51(1), pages 105-131.
    9. Chiara Pederzoli & Grid Thoma & Costanza Torricelli, 2013. "Modelling Credit Risk for Innovative SMEs: the Role of Innovation Measures," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 44(1), pages 111-129, August.
    10. Jarko Fidrmuc & Philipp Schreiber & Martin Siddiqui, 2018. "Intangible Assets and the Determinants of a Single Bank Relation of German SMEs," European Journal of Business Science and Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Business and Economics, vol. 4(1), pages 5-30.
    11. Hou, Wanrong & Levitas, Edward & Su, Taoyong & Wu, Sibin, 2025. "Milestone payments in alliances: The moderating effect of equity ownership and network centrality," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    12. Bronwyn H. Hall & Francesca Lotti & Jacques Mairesse, 2013. "Evidence on the impact of R&D and ICT investments on innovation and productivity in Italian firms," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 300-328, April.
    13. Ken‐ichi Hashimoto & Ryonghun Im, 2019. "Asset bubbles, labour market frictions and R&D‐based growth," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 52(2), pages 822-846, May.
    14. Cincera, Michele & Ince, Ela & Santos, Anabela, 2024. "Revisiting the innovation-competition nexus: Evidence from worldwide manufacturing and service industries," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 586-603.
    15. Gabriele Angori & David Aristei, 2020. "Heterogeneity and state dependence in firms’ access to credit: Microevidence from the euro area," SEEDS Working Papers 0220, SEEDS, Sustainability Environmental Economics and Dynamics Studies, revised Feb 2020.
    16. Angela Cipollone & Paolo E. Giordani, 2012. "Animal Spirits in Entrepreneurial Innovation: Theory and Evidence," Working Papers CELEG 1201, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza, LUISS Guido Carli.
    17. Nicholas Bloom & John Van Reenen & Heidi Williams, 2019. "A toolkit of policies to promote innovation," Voprosy Ekonomiki, NP Voprosy Ekonomiki, issue 10.
    18. Dai, Xiaoyong & Wang, Mengqi, 2024. "Unintended effects of tax incentives on firms’ strategic patenting," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 1-24.
    19. Hanna Hottenrott & Bronwyn H. Hall & Dirk Czarnitzki, 2016. "Patents as quality signals? The implications for financing constraints on R&D," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(3), pages 197-217, April.
    20. Keuschnigg, Christian & Ribi, Evelyn, 2010. "Profit Taxation, Innovation and the Financing of Heterogeneous Firms," CEPR Discussion Papers 7626, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

    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:pone00:0324587. 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.