Addressing inclusion,innovation,and sustainability challenges through the lens of economic geography:Introducing the hierarchical regional innovation system

The world is facing dramatic challenges related to environmental sustainability at an accelerating pace.In this context,the field of economic geography(EG)has been playing an important role in understanding both the socioeconomic and technological dimensions of these challenges,as it deals with a variety of complementary notions and perspectives.Departing from this lens,our aim is to explore a conceptual framework that can help us to understand environmental changes relating to multi-dimensional territorial development,notably in eco-nomic contexts where inequality is high,and stratification based on hierarchies regulate social and economic life.Based on the territory concept,we propose the original notion of a hierarchical regional innovation system(HRIS)that emphasises the pervasive role of hierarchies(powers)in regional innovation systems and illustrate its value with evidence and case studies from extant literature on sustainability transitions.The HRIS can help us understand and promote development paths considering the contribution of inclusive eco-innovations(another original conceptual amalgam).Through some empirical cases from other studies in low-carbon transitions,we show the application of the HRIS(and inclusive eco-innovation)framework.In conclusion,we provide incen-tives to explore new regional innovation systems,alongside the HRIS,adapted to different regions worldwide and centred on the inclusiveness of people and places.

Differentiated Paths of Regional Green Development Driven by Industrial Enterprise Innovation

A fundamental shift in the regional development pattern is crucial to achieving a comprehensive green transformation in China.Currently,innovation-driven green development is a significant strategic option for regional development.As the main body of innovation and the basic unit of regional composition,enterprises have a profound impact on the development of regional economy,society,ecology,and other aspects.However,considering China’s vast territory and significant regional differences in natural environment and industrial structure,it’s necessary to further explore the specific impact paths of regional green development driven by enterprise innovation.Therefore,taking industrial enterprises as an example,based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2016 to 2020,this study verifies the impact of industrial enterprise innovation on the regional green development level by constructing a parallel multiple mediating effect model and dividing the economy into eastern,central,and western regions to discuss the specific impact paths.The results show that industrial enterprise innovation has a significant positive effect on regional green development level,via different influencing paths in each region:(1)The eastern region improves the regional green development level by narrowing the urban-rural income gap;(2)The central region improves the regional green development level by reducing resource dependence;and(3)The western region raises the regional green development level by improving the rationalization of industrial structure.

Coupling coordinated development among digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment:A case study in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle,China

Coordinative development across various systems,particularly the economic,social,cultural,and human resources subsystems,is a key aspect of urban sustainability and has a direct impact on the quality of urbanization.The Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle,comprising Hangzhou City,Huzhou City,Jiaxing City,and Shaoxing City,was the first metropolitan circle approved by the National Development and Reform Commission(NDRC)as a demonstration of economic transformation in China.To evaluate the coupling coordination degree of the four cities and analyze the coordinative development in three systems(including digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment),we collected panel data during 2015–2022 from these four cities.The development level of the three systems was evaluated by the standard deviation method and comprehensive development index.The results are as follows:(1)the level of coupling coordinated development of the three systems in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle was relatively low;(2)the coupling coordination degree of the four cities in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle showed significant regional differences,among which Hangzhou City was in the leading position,and Huzhou,Jiaxing,and Shaoxing cities made steady but slow progress in the coupling development of the three systems;and(3)the development of digital economy and talent employment needs to be strengthened.This study contributes to the coordinative development of Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle by innovatively focusing on the coupling coordination relationship among digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment,which also meets the industrial layout of Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle.In this way,the optimal allocation and sustainable development of digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle can be achieved.

China’s urban green innovation:Regional differences,distribution dynamics,and convergence

Urban green innovation(UGI)is essential to environmental protection,ecological conservation,and high quality economic growth.Using green patents,our study assessed the level of UGI of 287 Chinese cities at and above the prefecture level.Then,using the Dagum Gini coefficient,kernel density estimation(KDE),and con‐vergence models,we examined regional differences,distribution dynamics,and convergence of UGI across China.The study’s findings are as follows:(1)Overall,regional differences in UGI tended to narrow,and the main contributor to these differences was the difference between economic zones.(2)KDE showed that the level of UGI was rising,which was polarized within each economic zone.(3)The national UGI in economic zones other than the Northeast and Middle Yellow River Economic Zones featured significantσconvergence,while each economic zone showed absolute and conditionalβconvergence.

Regional Innovation System: Theoretical Approach and Empirical Study of ChinaAPPROACH AND EMPIRICAL STUDY OF CHINA

Regional innovation system (RIS) is the new research field of modern economicgeography in the age of knowledge economy. Based on the researches of regional economic geography,the authors of the paper consider RIS as the integrated and interactive systems with innovationmilieu, elements, units, structure and functions. Five aspects of evaluation indicators includinginnovation input scale and output scale, innovation milieu transition, innovation inner operation,as well as innovation outer impact are worked out for final indicators of RIS scale and quality.According to different RIS situations, three patterns of independent, imitative and cooperativedevelopment are put forward for choosing. At the latter part of the paper, we select 12 provincialregions (including three municipalities and one autonomous region) of China for empirical study. Theresults show that there exists great difference among each region from the aspects of innovationscale and quality mainly owning to the diversification of RIS social and economic milieu, the majorinnovative units of enterprises, universities and R&D institutes. Finally, the paper points out theinnovation development decisions for each region.

Inheritance and Innovation of Regional Cultures in Architectural Designs of Yichang

Against the background of outstanding traditional Chinese culture and the innovation-drivendevelopment strategy, this study analyzed regional cultures of Yichang where ancient Ba and Chu culturesmet and blended, proposed regional architectural designs adapted to modern conditions, fully clarified thedesign concepts of “deeply exploring, highly condensing, making the past serve the present, inheriting andinnovating” through analyzing the design cases in many regional architectural projects. The paper aimedat further inheriting and developing the outstanding traditional Chinese cultures, and provided theoreticalreferences for future designs.

Entrepreneurial Orientation and Innovation Ecosystems in the Industrial Sector, Central Region, Kampala, Uganda: A Review

This review explores entrepreneurial orientation and innovation ecosystems in the industrial sector of the Central Region, Kampala, Uganda, through an analysis of ten scholarly articles. The study contextualizes the research within the regional landscape and establishes a theoretical framework through a focused literature review. Key findings highlight the intersection of entrepreneurial activities and innovation dynamics, emphasizing the region’s unique contributions to the broader field. Discussions on discrepancies and unexplored territories within the articles offer insights into limitations and research gaps. The manuscript concludes by identifying future research avenues, providing a roadmap for ongoing inquiry into the entrepreneurial and innovative dimensions of the Central Region’s industrial sector. This synthesis underscores the importance of cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset and collaborative innovation strategies for sustainable industrial development in the region.

Regional green innovation system mode and its implication:Acase study in eastern China coastal areas

Developing circular economy is the inevitable choice to realize regional sustainable development.And innovation is the fundamental driving force for regional sustainable development.Therefore,the combination of circular economy and regional innovation systems is of great value in the study of regional circular innovation systems.Based on the concepts and basic characteristics of the regional circular innovation system,the author takes Beijing,Shanghai,and Jiangsu as examples,which are the circular economy pilot provinces in developed region of eastern coastal China.With outstanding circular economy and innovation achievements,Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area,Shanghai Caohejing Hi-Tech Park,and Suzhou Industrial Park(the National Eco-Industrial Demonstration Park),served to summarize the characteristics,formation mechanism and inspiration of the circular innovation system model in capital economic-technological development zones(characterized by innovation in the recycling of water and land resources and energy,and innovation in circular service industries supplemented with"Internet+Wisdom Park"),coastal new&hi-tech industrial development zones,(featured by innovation in the recycling of water and land resources and energy,in addition,the companies’management and export processing cooperate with government)and hi-tech industrial parks(marked by open innovation and Sino-foreign governments cooperate in construction and management).This paper mainly focuses on the concepts and characteristics,formation mechanisms,evaluations,structure laws,the optimizing strategies and the cases in China to study the progress of regional green innovation system.

How Will Different Types of Regional Innovation Policy and Their Mixes Affect the Innovation Performance of Enterprises: An Empirical Study Based on Shenzhen

Evaluating the functional boundary of different types of innovation policy instruments and their mixes on innovation performance of enterprises is an important but unresolved key issue.This paper,based on the systematically carding the quantization of 155 innovation policies issued by Shenzhen governmental departments from 2011 to 2019,analyzed the characteristics from different types of innovation instruments and their mixes.The results show that Shenzhen governmental has constantly enriched innovation policy instruments for encouraging enterprise innovation,but there are structural unbalances in the issued innovation policy manifested as follows:firstly supply-side policy and environmental-side policy were promulgated more than demand-side policy;secondly the specific instruments employed by Shenzhen governmental were also uneven in different type of innovation policy,like supply-side policy focused on the instruments of government procurement and R&D outsourcing,demand-side policy employed human resource training,innovation infrastructure and fiscal support most,and environmental-side policy main used target planning,intellectual property protection and financial support.This study expands and understanding empirical implementation of different reginal innovation policy instruments,and has implication for Shenzhen governmental in improving the applicability ability of policies in the enterprises innovation.

Characteristic Innovation of City Square at Guangxi Minority Nationality Regions

After description of the concept of urban feature with Nanning and Liuzhou City as example,the paper illustrated regional characteristics of Guangxi City and highlighted its cultural atmosphere of minority nationalities.It emphasized that only when regional urban feature was further enhanced could city development be promoted,and that only when urban feature was clearly identified could city square was characteristic.As for site selection of city square,it should follow principles of people-orientation,integrity,landscape,economy,ecology and geomancy.As for construction of city square,it should pay attention to integrate urban cultural feature based on relevant principles,and both inherit local historical culture and highlight local natural characteristic.In addition,folk artistic elements could be applied in city square,and folk artistic elements of nonmaterial culture could be integrated into the theme of city square.Material artistic elements could be also extracted and concluded as a kind of aesthetic art,reflected in concrete architectural forms.Characteristic innovation of city square should respect planning,start from city actuality,be based on self characteristics,consider citizens' willingness,and draw on local resources,so as to manifest regional cultural characteristic and promote city influence and competitiveness.

Does Industry-University-Research Cooperation Matter? An Analysis of Its Coupling Effect on Regional Innovation and Economic Development

The dislocation between regional innovation and economic development directly influences the economic effect of regional innovation. However, no in-depth researches have been made on how to solve this problem. Using data from Henan Province, China,employing geographical detector technology, this paper focuses on testing whether the industry-university-research cooperation can contribute to coordinating the relation between regional innovation and economic development. It is shown that: 1) the industry-universityresearch cooperation in Henan Province is increasing gradually, and the network presents a core-edge structure, and the coupling degree between regional innovation and economic development is spatially unbalanced, which is similar to the spatial distribution of the intensity of industry-university-research cooperation;2) as an important approach to effectively connect scientific researches with market demands, the industry-university-research cooperation can help form an interactive, interconnected, coupled and coordinated virtuous relation between regional innovation and economic development. Compared with the cooperation between organizations of the same type and the separate innovation of organizations, the improvement of the industry-university-research cooperation level can better coordinate the relation between regional innovation and economic development;3) the cooperative innovation model between enterprises and universities can better promote the coupling between regional innovation and economic development, compared with many industryuniversity-research cooperation models. For underdeveloped areas lacking local knowledge base, industry-university-research cooperation should be considered as a long-term development strategy, especially using the knowledge sources of external universities and scientific research institutions to enhance innovation capability and achieve economic growth.

Measurement and Evaluation of Efficiency of Regional Technical Innovation Jiangsu Province

The target system was built to evaluate the efficiency of technical innovation for 13 cities and three regions in Jiangsu province based on the data envelopment analysis. This paper comparatively analyzed the efficiency of innovation and scaling return for each region in Jiangsu province. The projection analysis on production frontier face for inefficient regions was also performed. Evolving rules and regional difference of technical innovation system of Jiangsu province were explored. Some important results and suggestion were obtained.

Exploring Regional Innovation Growth Through A Network Approach:A Case Study of the Yangtze River Delta Region,China

As the leading urban agglomeration in China,the Yangtze River Delta(YRD)is experiencing a factor-driven to innovationdriven transition.However,the dynamics of regional innovation growth are not yet fully understood.This paper combines the complex network methodology with spatial econometrics to disentangle the contributions of innovation endowments,innovation network flows,and innovation network positions to regional innovation growth,as well as their spatial spillover effects.The primary findings suggest that regional innovation growth results from the networked agglomeration economies,which is shaped by the interactions between agglomeration factors and network factors.Specifically,agglomeration factors play a fundamental role in regional innovation growth.In contrast,network factors,such as the network flows and network positions,may contribute to new path creation by promoting access to external innovation resources.Additionally,the institutional factors show multiplexity in fostering regional innovation patterns.Such findings indicate that the YRD region should shift the innovation growth pattern from competitive involution to mutually beneficial cooperation to reduce regional disparities.In this regard,the institutional capacity of organizing network flows and fostering reciprocal inter-city partnerships has become increasingly critical for promoting sustainable innovation and regional development.

Infl uence of environmental regulation intensity on regional technology innovation: An empirical research based on eastern and mid-China region

This paper adopts the comprehensive index method to build environmental regulation intensity index. Based on "Porter Hypothesis", it empirically examines the relationship between environmental regulation intensity and regional technology innovation using the eastern and mid-China region's provincial panel data from 2005 to 2013 and panel data method. The results show that:(1) In the eastern and central regions, the relationship between the intensity of environmental regulation and technological innovation presents a "U" shape, and "Porter Hypothesis" can be verifi ed;(2) The eastern region can break "U" infl ection point earlier than the central region. Therefore, the government should not only strengthen the intensity of environmental regulation, but also pay attention to environmental regulation form, formulate reasonable environmental regulation policy, actively guide the enterprises to seek out technology innovation in order to realize win-win situation of environmental protection and economic development.

Empirical Research on the Competence of Intellectual Property Rights in Shenzhen Based on Regional Industrial Innovation

Based on statistical data of the regional industry and the level of intellectual property right （IPR） development, this paper adopts the ways such as regression analysis and description statistics, trying to analyze the intrinsic linkage among the regional industry innovation, regional competence and IPR competence. A conclusion was drawn that IPR competence can assuredly upgrade the industrial competence and regional competence, but the supporting from perfect institutional environment and service system of intellectual property rights （IPR） is yet needed. According to the analysis, this paper gives some suggestions on how to improve the IPR competence of Shenzhen,

Analysis of educational factor in regional innovation and the corresponding policy implications

Education is a basic factor in regional innovation system. The impact of the scale, structure and pattern of education on regional innovation Performance has long been an important matter in innovation economics. With the method of econometric analysis, it is found that regional innovation ability of China's provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) has a strong correlativity with public educational outlay and the number of people who hold a diploma higher than junior college. Meanwhile, mechanisms of education that exert impact on regional innovation ability through function such as forming human capital. diffusing knowledge and knowledge overflow are analyzed. Moreover,some policy implications for China are given.

Construction and Research of Evaluation Indicator System for Technological Innovation Performance

In view of sci-tech innovation and innovation-driving requirements of Chinese President Xi Jinping,it is necessary to establish a complete evaluation indicator system for technological innovation performance in Guizhou Province,to accurately evaluate development situation of technological innovation in Guizhou Province,promote close connection of science and technology with economy,and boost rapid development of national economy. In Guizhou Province,there is still no complete evaluation indicator system for technological innovation performance, so it is impossible to comprehensively reflect its technological innovation situation. On the basis of analyzing regional technological innovation and development of Guizhou Province,this paper presents evaluation principles,analysis framework and evaluation methods and gives countermeasures and recommendations for evaluation indicator system for technological innovation performance in Guizhou Province.

Study on the Assessment System of Regional Economic Development

Based on the analysis of the connotation of regional economic development,this paper constructed an assessment criteria system of Chinese economic development,and made a comparative analysis of the overall situation of Chinese regional economic development and its performance in terms of supply,demand,development efficiency,economical operation,and opening up.According to the results,the sample provinces were divided into leading regions,superior regions,medium regions,and catch-up regions,and measures were proposed to improve regional economic development from the perspectives of bench marking with leading regions,releasing regional potentials,and upgrading the quality of innovative elements,which provided new ideas for the construction of economic development assessment criteria system and certain reference for the thrust of high quality regional development.

Strategies to Promote Regional Innovation

A favorable environment for the exchange of information and innovation is able to provide the economic and social progress. Thus, this article aims to propose a study methodology to develop strategies for promoting technological innovation, to answer the research question： What actions to leverage the innovative potential of a region？ Data were collected through qualitative and quantitative approaches. The study was characterized as exploratory, descriptive, and inventory. The study sample was composed of the industrial spectrum of Francisco Beltrao region. Innovation indexes were identified companies operating in areas of greatest economic importance. Representatives of the companies were interviewed for the researcher could analyze their knowledge of the laws that encourage innovation and actions imposed by the interested parties and the municipal government. Interested parties were also interviewed to verify the effectiveness of actions. The main results indicated a low overall rate of innovation of companies in the Francisco Beltrao region. Another point was the very low number of companies they knew about laws and incentives. The higher content of knowledge of these laws and actions of stakeholders were among the companies participating in the single business hub of the city looking for technological innovation. The main conclusions brought proposed strategies to promote technological innovation.

Regional Innovation Policies for High-Technology Firms： The Importance of the Cluster Life Cycle

The present work makes an in-depth analysis of an aspect not yet sufficiently examined by the studies into regional innovation systems, relating to why the policy makers must adopt regional innovation policies in accordance with the development cycle of the active clusters in the territory. The analysis carried out in the course of the work contributes towards understanding the validity of an evolutionary-type development model for which the regional innovation policies for the growth of high-tech firms should dynamically change in relation to the various cluster stages. The development model proposed provides a framework for the policy makers in order to state more efficiently through time the regional innovation strategies.