Does the Multiple-Participant Innovation Improve Regional Innovation Efficiency? A Study of China’s Regional Innovation Systems

Abstract

The triple helix (university-industry-government) is a dynamic cooperation model in the area of regional innovation. With the application of this model, the authors aim to address the mechanism of how multiple participants affect innovation efficiency against the research background of China Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fs-QCA) is applied to conduct a multiple-case analysis. With the evaluation of 31 provinces in China, which have various innovation performances and degrees of regional cooperation, the authors find strong evidence to support the positive effects of multiple participants on regional radical innovation. Moreover, this article also finds two typical configurations of factors that contribute to high innovation efficiency. Based on the results, the authors propose policy implications to improve China’s regional innovation in different areas. Finally, this paper concludes with the discussion of future research orientations, which could focus on the differences in the triple helix among different industries in China.