全球贸易协定网络对国际创新活动的不对称影响——基于制度环境的视角

The Asymmetric Effect of Global Trade Agreement Network on International Innovation Activities——Based on the Perspective of Institutional Environment

构建面向全球的高标准自由贸易区网络是中国实施自由贸易区提升战略的重要内容。全球贸易协定网络究竟通过何种机制对国际创新活动产生怎样的影响,是中国更加主动融入全球创新网络所必须厘清的重要问题。本文基于制度环境的视角,在充分考虑“第三方效应”的基础上,构建全球贸易协定网络中的节点中心性和节点传递性指标,利用2000-2018年USPTO数据库的国际专利数据,实证检验全球贸易协定网络对国际创新活动的影响及其作用机制。研究表明,全球贸易协定网络显著促进国际创新活动。虽然全球贸易协定网络中的节点中心性和节点传递性分别促进和抑制国际专利数量,但是节点中心性的正向影响大于节点传递性的负向影响,其整体影响为正。进一步研究发现,针对不同制度环境水平国家(或地区),全球贸易协定网络的创新促进效应具有不对称性,制度环境水平较低的发展中国家(或地区)受到的促进作用更强烈。贸易协定异质性分析表明,签署关税同盟、第二代贸易协定、多双边贸易协定、签署服务条款和TRIPs-plus条款等的国家(或地区)更有可能从全球贸易协定网络的创新促进效应中获益。本文的研究结论为从全球贸易协定网络视角探究推动国际创新活动的新路径提供了有益的政策启示。

Building a global network of high standard free trade zones is an important part of China’s implementation of the promotion strategy of free trade zones.What mechanism does the global trade agreement network have and how it affects international innovation activities is an important issue that must be clarified for China to integrate more actively into the global innovation network.From the perspective of institutional environment and fully considering the “third-party effect”, this paper constructs the node centrality and node transitivity indicators in the global trade agreement network, and empirically tests the impact of the global trade agreement network on international innovation activities by using the international patent data of USPTO database from 2000 to 2018.Research shows that the global trade agreement network promotes international innovation activities.Although node centrality and node transitivity in the global trade agreement network promote and inhibit the number of international patents respectively, the positive impact of node centrality is greater than the negative impact of node transitivity, and its overall impact is positive.For countries with different levels of institutional environment, the innovation promotion effect of the global trade agreement network is asymmetric, and the promotion effect of developing countries with lower levels of institutional environment is stronger.The heterogeneity analysis of trade agreements shows that countries that sign customs union, second-generation trade agreement, multi bilateral trade agreement, service clause and TRIPs-plus clause can benefit more from the innovation promotion effect of global trade agreement network.The research conclusions of this paper provide useful policy enlightenment for exploring new ways to promote international innovation activities from the perspective of global trade agreement network.