专利能否促进中国经济增长——基于中国专利资助政策视角的一个解释

Do Patents Drive Economic Growth in China——An Explanation Based on Government Patent Subsidy Policy

本文利用中国各省份1985—2012年面板数据,从人均真实GDP增长率以及经济增长质量所蕴含的速度和质量两个视角来实证研究三种类型专利授权量对中国经济增长可能产生的作用效应。主要发现是:总体来看,发明专利对各省份人均真实GDP增长率造成显著U型作用效应,而实用新型和外观设计专利未产生显著的作用效应;以中国各省份出台专利资助政策为界限,发现1999年前后不同时期中三种类型专利对各省份人均真实GDP增长率的作用效应存在显著的差异性,且1999年后三种类型专利对各省份经济增长质量并未造成理论预期的促进效应;扣除专利资助政策信息后的发明和实用新型专利对各省份人均真实GDP增长率和经济增长质量造成了显著的促进效应。本文的经验发现在一定程度上验证了中国各省份竞相出台的专利资助政策可能造成专利"泡沫"现象的发生,进而导致专利对中国经济增长的促进作用发生了扭曲效应。

By using province-level panel data during the period 1985--2012, this paper empirically investigate the potential effect of three types of grant patent numbers on Chinese economic growth, from the perspectives of real GDP growth rate and the quality of economic growth. The main findings are as follows. On the whole, innovation patents have a significant U-shape effect on real GDP growth per capita for each province, while utility and design types have no significant effects. By setting the time limits as the introduction of patent subsidy policy for each province, we find significantly controversy effects of three types of patents on real GDP growth per capita in each province before and after the year 1999. In addition, the theoretically predicted promotion effect of patents on real GDP growth is not found after the year 1999. Taking patent subsidy policies into account, the patents of innovation and utility have considerably promoting effect on real GDP growth rate per capita and the quality of economic growth for each province. The empirical evidence validates such facts to some extent, the patent promotion policies competed by provincial governments may contribute to the occurrence of patent bubble, and even cause the distortion effect on the economic promoting role of patent.