交通基础设施促进了地区创新吗——基于异质性经济距离的解释

Does Transport Infrastructure Promote Regional Innovation:Explanation Based on Heterogeneous Economic Distance

在综合考虑地区创新依赖多维要素的基础上,将地区交通设施与经济距离纳入垂直创新理论,探讨交通基础设施对地区创新的影响作用。利用1993—2020年中国29个省级单位的面板数据集进行实证检验,回归结果显示:(1)等级公路密度的增加显著提升了各地区创新水平,且在靠近经济前沿的地区中具有更强的促进作用。这一结论在处理内生性问题后依然稳健。(2)竞争带来的企业进入与退出在等级公路密度影响地区创新的过程中发挥了中介效应作用,且企业进入带来的中介效应更强。(3)企业进入与退出的中介效应对于距离经济前沿较近地区的作用更大。在当前经济高质量增长背景下,这一结论为距离经济前沿程度不同的经济体促进长期经济增长提供了经验参考。

Based on careful consideration of the multi-dimensional factors that regional innovation relies on,this paper brings regional transportation facilities and economic distance into the vertical innovation theory,and explores the impact of transportation infrastructure on regional innovation.The study employs panel data for 29 provincial units in China from 1993 to 2020 to show the following.(1) The increase in the density of classified highways significantly improves the level of innovation in each region and plays a greater role in promoting the growth of regions close to the economic frontier;the result remains stable after addressing issues of potential endogeneity.(2) The entry and exit of enterprises as the result of competition play an intermediary role in the process of innovation in the regions affected by the density of classified highways,the effect of entry being stronger.(3) The intermediary effect of entry and exit plays a greater role in areas close to the economic frontier.In the current context of high-quality economic growth,this conclusion offers insight on how to promote long-term economic growth for economies at different distances from the economic frontier.