技术交易网络与出口企业成本加成——基于中国专利转让与许可的经验研究

Technology Trading Network and Markup for Export Firms:Evidence from China's Patent Transfer and Licensing

基于中国专利转让与许可数据,本文运用复杂网络方法构建技术交易网络,科学评估了企业在技术交易网络的位置,据此考察出口企业嵌入技术交易网络对其成本加成的影响。研究发现,出口企业在技术交易网络中的中心性位置显著影响其成本加成,且这一促进作用是通过缓解信息不对称性、提高企业自主创新与协同创新能力来实现。异质性检验表明,企业处于输出地位、企一企型技术交易网络带来的成本加成提升作用更为显著;技术交易网络对西部地区、技术密集型行业、国有性质、从事加工贸易的出口企业成本加成提升相对更大。另外,技术交易的服务保障体系建设至关重要,知识产权司法保护的推进、技术交易中介的建立及其功能完善均会强化技术交易网络下的出口企业优势,尤其是国家技术转移示范机构、“中国创新驿站”的试点政策导致技术交易的成本加成提升作用从距离转移服务机构20千米扩大到40千米范围内。本文研究为畅通企业等多主体间技术要素流动、促进科技创新与贸易竞争新优势相结合提供了微观证据。

Technology trading in China has shown strong momentum,and patent transfer and licensing have become important components of technology trading.With more and more patent trading entities and frequent flows,technology trading grows networked.The technology trading network,inevitably endogenous in the market-oriented construction of China's science and technology resources,is not only an important way to promote technology transfer,strengthen knowledge creation,and obtain complementary technological assets but also a potential factor to promote firm exports to reshape their competitive advantages.Theoretically,technology trading networks may increase the markup for firm exports by alleviating information asymmetry and creating innovation effects.Compared with developed economies,the pricing power of Chinese firms in the international market is generally not competitive.Thus,this paper attempts to seek feasible paths through the technology trading network to enhance the competitiveness of China's firm exports.This paper explores the role of firms embedding technology trading networks in enhancing export market power.Based on China's patent transfer and licensing data,this paper constructs a technology trading network by using the complex network analysis and calculates firms'position in this network.This paper further investigates the relationship between exporting firms'position in the network and their markup.Our empirical results show that improving firms'centrality in the technology trading network can significantly increase their markup by alleviating information asymmetry and enhancing independent and collaborative innovation.The heterogenous analysis shows that the positive effects are more profound for firms located in output position or engaged in the firm-firm technology trading network.Additionally,the observed relationship is especially prevalent in the western regions,technology-intensive industries,state-owned firms and firms engaged in processing trade.Finally,the improvement of intellectual property protection and the establishment of technology trading intermediary can strengthen firms'export advantages.Especially,national demonstration institutions for technology transfer and China innovation station pilot enhance the positive roles of firm centrality from 20 km away from transfer service institutions to within 40 km.This paper provides microempirical evidence for the integration of scientific and technological innovation with new advantages in trade competition.The innovations of this paper are as follows.First,distinguished from existing literature that investigates firm innovation characterized by patent citations or cooperation,this paper considers patent transfer and licensing among firms.This paper further explores technology markets by accurately describing the characteristics of knowledge flows and economic value of technology transactions.Additionally,this paper effectively responds to the construction of a national unified technology market through quantitative approaches.Second,this paper constructs technology trading network indicators based on the technology trading information between the seller and the buyer.This paper not only enriches the application of social network analysis in the research fields of international trade and firm innovation,but also provides a new perspective to explain the differences in monopoly power of export firms.Third,from the perspectives of China's intellectual property protection practices and the cultivation of technology trading intermediaries,the moderating role of technological service guarantees in the markup enhancement effects caused by the technology trading network is systematically evaluated,which contributes to revealing the policy-driving factors for the technology trading network benefits.Additionally,this paper provides a useful supplement to research on market intermediary construction and the performance of firm exports.