Intellectual Property Policy and County Economic Growth:A Quasi-natural Experiment from the Intellectual Property Powering County Project

As fundamental economic units,county economies play a crucial role in China's national economic system.However,it remains unclear whether intellectual property rights policies at the county level can promote economic growth.We used a quasi-natural experiment from the Intellectual Property Powering County Project("the Project")to measure their impact on county economic growth from 2009 to 2020,applying a multi-period diference-in-differences method.County economic growth indicators were measured using Enhanced Vegetation Index-calibrated nighttime light data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite.The findings demonstrated that the Project promoted economic growth significantly by incentivizing innovation,attracting high-tech and new-tech enterprises,and fostering brand creation.The Project also exhibited significant heterogeneity across districts and counties,along with spillover effects on economic growth in surrounding counties within approximately 80 kilometers.

Gradient effect of road transportation on economic development in different geomorphic regions

The economic benefits of transport infrastructure investment have been widely accepted.However,the varying influence of road transport development across vertical space has rarely been discussed.Taking Sichuan province in China as case study area where the landform is diverse and complex,administrative counties were categorized into 4 main types:plain counties,hill counties,mountain counties,and plateau counties.Using statistical data during 2006-2014,theperformanceofeconomic development and transport construction level in the four types of counties are discussed.Subsequently,the heterogeneous effect of each grade road on economy was calculated by local regression model(GWR).The results indicate that plain counties largely surpassed the other geomorphic counties in economic development level,while the gradient gap among them was on the decline.Similarly,distribution of transport infrastructure presented a decreasing trend from the low plain counties to high plateau counties.Regional imbalances were mainly reflected in the County road and Village road.Regarding the changes of regional gaps,National&Provincial roads and County roads were constantly expanding,whereas the disparity of Village road was slowly narrowing over time.Particularly noteworthy was the non-stationary economic influence of traffic factors across vertical gradients.On average,National&Provincial roads generated higher benefits in the high elevation regions than the lowlands.In contrast,County road and Village road were found to be more effective in promoting economic development in plains.With regard to local estimates of traffic factors,coefficients in mountain counties exhibited larger fluctuation ranges than other geomorphic units.The conclusions provide a basis for government decisionmaking in a more reasonable construction arrangement of road facilities and sustainable economic development.