跨国专利合作网络中技术接近性的调节作用研究

Research on the Moderating Effect of Technological Proximity in International Patent Collaborative Network

技术接近性对于企业间的跨国专利合作具有重要作用。基于多维接近性整体分析框架,采用中国电力系统技术领域2000年至2008年国外专利合作数据,分析技术接近性对其他接近性的调节作用。通过构造112家中外企业的专利合作网络,运用QAP网络回归方法实证检验跨国专利合作网络中技术接近性在地理接近性和社会接近性影响专利合作网络中节点连接距离和连接重要性过程中的调节作用。研究结果表明,在考虑多维接近性共同作用时,技术接近性对网络节点的连接距离和连接重要性具有重要影响,有助于节点之间构筑较短的连接渠道并形成较为重要的合作关系。除此以外,技术接近性还能正向调节社会接近性对连接重要性的正效应,但对于社会接近性与连接距离之间的关系没有显著的影响。由此验证了技术接近性可以影响其他接近性与跨国知识合作关系的基本假设,为进一步揭示不同接近性之间的相互作用机制提供了理论基础。

Technological proximity has important influence on international patent collaboration. Prior study focused on absorptive ability and suggested that firms should become technologically closed so as to understand each other well. However, present re- searches paid little attentions on the mutual effect of various types of proximities and its influence on cooperative activities among firms from different countries. Based on the multi-dimensional proximity frame, we adopt social network analysis to test the mod- erating effect of technological proximity on the relationships of proximities and nodal distance and tie strength of the patent collab- orative networks based on power system related patents authored to Chinese firm with their foreign partners from 2000 to 2008. We construct a patent collaborative network including 112 firms based on co-patent relationships. From the results of QAP regression, we find that technological proximity has significant influence on the distance of nodes in the network as well as on the im- portance of ties from multi-dimensional proximity perspective. Thus, firms in the network would construct shorter connecting channels and keep comparatively more important relationships if they have similar knowledge basis. The most important finding of our research is that technological proximity has moderating effect on the relationships between social proximity and importance of ties in the cross-national patent collaborative network. This finding indicates that firm with close social relationship could become a more important colleague to its foreign partners by improving their similarity of technology knowledge. However, the same effect has not been found on the relationships between social proximity and nodal distance. Therefore, technological proximity can not be considered as a determinant variable on the formation of ties between cooperators with colse social relationship. Thus, the mutual effect of technological proximity and social proximity is complicated though their direct influence are often strongly positive according to prior researches. Otherwise, we find out that Chinese firms in power system industry prefer distant foreigners which demonstrate that geographical proximity is not a vital factor that motives the formation of international collaborative network. In addition, our findings also show that geographical proximity has insignificant correlation with the importance of ties. Thus, firms may not take spatial closeness as the primer factor to build close relationships with non-native partners. However, our research also contributes to current literature in that technological proximity plays importance role in cross-national collaboration not only by facilitating the learning processes but also positively affecting the influence of social proximity. Our main findings can promote the researches focusing on uncovered the mechanism of mutual influence between various proximities.