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Editor's Note
编者按
尽管技术引进长期以来被视为发展中国家实现创新赶超的主要途径，但自2008年金融危机以来，中国却出现了一个悖论：技术引进放缓与创新蓬勃发展同时发生。为了解释这一悖论，本文基于企业层面数据，探讨国家技术开发区对创新的双重影响——促进效应与扭曲效应。
研究结果表明，1995年至2013年间，国家技术开发区显著提升了本地企业的创新水平，这同时体现在专利数量和质量的增长上。然而，在金融危机之后，出现了对专利质量的扭曲效应。基于技术学习理论，本文进一步探讨了两个潜在机制——自主开发与技术引进，二者均对促进效应有所贡献。在扭曲效应方面，这两种机制也都发挥了作用，其中技术引进的负面影响更为显著。特别是，自主开发的创造能力和有形技术引进的这一负面影响显著高于自主开发的吸收能力和无形技术引进。本研究为在全球技术保护主义日益加剧的背景下的中国创新进程提供了新的视角。
我们特将内容分享如下，以飨读者。
▋China Economic Review
Volume 88, December 2024, 102303
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2024.102303
The paradox of decelerated technology importation and accelerated innovation in China: Insights from national technology development zones
a- Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization, Japan
b- School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University, China
c- Brookings Institution, United States
d- Research Center for Technological Innovation, Tsinghua University, China
e- Collaborative Innovation Center for Emissions Trading System Co-Constructed by the Province and Ministry, Wuhan 430205, China
f- The Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research, Tokyo, Japan
Highlights
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Paradox of decelerated technology importation and accelerated innovation is studied.
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Post-crisis distortive effects of NTZs on innovation are identified.
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Dynamic roles of autonomous development and technology importation are studied.
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Intangible technologies are increasingly important than tangible technologies.
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Creative capacity contributes more to the distortive effects than absorptive capacity.
Abstract
Although technology importation has traditionally been viewed as the main pathway for innovation catch-up in developing countries, a paradox has emerged in China following the 2008 financial crisis: innovation boom amidst a slowdown in technology importation. To unravel this paradox, using firm-level data, we delve into the promotional and distortive effect of National Technology Development Zones (NTZs) on innovation. We documented a promotional effect of NTZs on local firm innovation measured by both patent quantity and quality from 1995 to 2013, and observed a post-crisis distortive effect on patent quality. Drawing from technological learning theories, we further explored the underlying mechanisms—autonomous development and technology importation—which both contributed to the promotional effect. Concerning the distortive effect, both mechanisms are contributing factors, with technology importation having a more pronounced negative effect. Furthermore, creative capacity of autonomous development and tangible technology importation are more significantly associated with this negative impact compared to their counterparts (absorptive capacity and intangible technology importation). Our study sheds new light on the innovation progress of China against the backdrop of escalating technology protectionism.
▲表：国家技术开发区对本地企业创新的影响
▲图：国家技术开发区对本地企业创新的动态效应
▲表：金融危机前后国家技术开发区对本地企业创新的影响
▲表：技术学习机制：自主开发与技术引进
▲表：有形技术引进与无形技术引进