西部大开发与技术创新:溢出还是陷阱?——基于PSM-DID的再检验

Western Development and Technological Innovation: Spillover or Trap? Re-examination Based on PSM-DID

将西部大开发政策看作一次自然实验,基于1994—2015年中国283个地级市的面板数据,采用双重差分法研究西部大开发对地区技术创新的影响,并利用PSM—DID的方法进行稳健性检验。实证结果表明,西部大开发并未提升西部地区技术创新水平,落入了"政策陷阱"之中。机制验证表明由于资源条件放宽,"资源诅咒"现象凸显;并且在中国现有的制度背景下,地方政府过度集中于基础设施投资,却忽视了软环境建设,挤出了城镇化水平、金融发展、人力资本、FDI等技术创新驱动因素,最终导致西部大开发政策演变为政策陷阱。因此,在西部大开发战略实施进程中,应当注重人力资本等创新要素的投入,同时营造良好的创新环境,从多方面入手提升西部地区技术创新能力,为经济发展带来强有力的驱动。

Considering the western development policy as a natural experiment,and based on the panel data of 283 county-level cities from 1994 to 2015 in China,this paper studies the impact of the western development on regional technological innovation by using difference in difference( DID) approach. Besides,PSM-DID approach is used to make a robust test. The empirical results show that the western development policy has not improved the level of technological innovation in the western region and has fallen into a "policy trap". Mechanism verification shows that due to the relaxation of resource conditions,the phenomenon of "resource curse"has become prominent; and in the context of China’s current system,local governments have excessively concentrated on infrastructure investment,and have neglected the construction of soft environments.In this way,technological innovation drivers such as urbanization level,financial development,human capital and FDI are squeezed out. Therefore,during the implementation process of western development,more attention should be paid to the investment of innovative factors such as human capital,and at the same time a good environment for innovation should be created. A series of measures to enhance the ability of technological innovation in the western region should be taken to bring a powerful drive for economic development.