How Does Regional R&D Investment Agglomeration Affect High-Quality Economic Development? Evidence From China

Abstract

In order to reduce the environmental pollution of economic development, countries around the world pursue high-quality economic development model. However, the relationship between R&D investment agglomeration and high-quality economic development has not been thoroughly revealed in existing studies. Taking 30 provincial-level regions in China from 2009 to 2018 as research samples, this paper empirically examines the relationship between regional R&D investment agglomeration and high-quality economic development by using system GMM method and spatial econometric model. Theoretical analysis shows that regional R&D investment agglomeration promotes regional high-quality economic development by increasing regional knowledge capital, improving innovation efficiency, and promoting knowledge spillovers through scale effect, synergy effect, and spillover effect, respectively. The empirical results show that regional R&D investment agglomeration can significantly promote regional high-quality economic development. The degree of regional integrated innovation can positively adjust the promotion effect of regional R&D investment agglomeration on regional high-quality economic development. Regional R&D investment agglomeration can effectively promote the high-quality economic development of surrounding regions.