Research Clusters and Technology Diffusion

Deng, Paul (2011): Research Clusters and Technology Diffusion.

Abstract

Much of the debate over income convergence hinges on whether technology diffusion is “global” or “local”. In this paper, I address this question in a developing country setting and focus on the role of major research clusters in promoting domestic technology diffusion. I identify four de facto research centers in China and investigate whether the effect of R&D spillovers from these research clusters is related to both geographic and technological distances. I find that firms’ productivity gains from R&D spillovers from the research cluster decline with (i) increasing geographic distance away from the research cluster, and (ii) the technological gap between technology senders and recipients.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Technology diffusion, Spillover, R&D, Productivity, Economic Geography, China
• Subjects: O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O18 - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis ; Housing ; Infrastructure; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O4 - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity

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