Exploring the Impact of Multidimensional R&amp;D Investment in High-Technology Industries on Regional GDP Per Capita Across China

Xinrui Zhang; Yuhang She; Wenting Zhou

doi:10.47297/wspdecWSP2515-797319.20261007

PDF
Export
Share
Collection
Album

Exploring the Impact of Multidimensional R&D Investment in High-Technology Industries on Regional GDP Per Capita Across China

Volume 10, Issue 7

Views: 0 Downloads: 0

Exploring the Impact of Multidimensional R&D Investment in High-Technology Industries on Regional GDP Per Capita Across China
Exploring the Impact of Multidimensional R&D Investment in High-Technology Industries on Regional GDP Per Capita Across China
School of Humanities and Social Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, 999077, China
Vol. 10, Issue 7, Pages: 96-104(2026)
Published：30 July 2026
DOI：10.47297/wspdecWSP2515-797319.20261007
Accepted：

Scan QR Code

Zhang Xinrui,She Yuhang,Zhou Wenting.Exploring the Impact of Multidimensional R&D Investment in High-Technology Industries on Regional GDP Per Capita Across China[J].Development Economics of China,2026,10(07):96-104.
DOI：

Zhang Xinrui,She Yuhang,Zhou Wenting.Exploring the Impact of Multidimensional R&D Investment in High-Technology Industries on Regional GDP Per Capita Across China[J].Development Economics of China,2026,10(07):96-104. DOI： 10.47297/wspdecWSP2515-797319.20261007.

摘要

Abstract

This study examines how different types of R&D investment in China's high-technology industry affect regional GDP per capita

and whether this relationship varies across provinces. Using a panel of 6

856 observations from 31 provincial-level regions during 2002–2023 (CSMAR database)

we decompose R&D investment into eight dimensions — including R&D expenditure

new product development

technology transformation

technology purchase and absorption

and the number of R&D institutions and valid patents — and estimate their effects through OLS

log-linear OLS

fixed- and random-effects panel models (with Hausman tests)

weighted least squares

and regional interaction models

with robustness checked via multicollinearity

heteroscedasticity

and dynamic panel tests. Results show that internal R&D expenditure

new product development spending

and the number of R&D institutions are significantly and positively associated with per capita GDP

while technology transformation and technology assimilation/absorption expenditures show significant negative associations

and these effects differ substantially by region. The findings suggest that R&D investment is not a homogeneous driver of regional growth

and that policy should be tailored to the composition of R&D spending and each region's innovation stage.

关键词

Keywords

references

National Bureau of Statistics of China . ( 2024 ). China high-tech industry statistical yearbook 2024 . China Statistics Press .

National Bureau of Statistics of China . ( 2024 ). Explanatory notes on main statistical indicators . Retrieved from https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/pcsj/jjpc/3jp/zk/html/zb01ec.htm https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/pcsj/jjpc/3jp/zk/html/zb01ec.htm .

Romer P . M . ( 1986 ). Increasing returns and long-run growth. Journal of political economy , 94 ( 5 ), 1002 - 1037 .

Lucas Jr R . E . ( 1988 ). On the mechanics of economic development. Journal of monetary economics , 22 ( 1 ), 3 - 42 .

Schumpeter J. A. , & Swedberg R . ( 2021 ). The theory of economic development . Routledge .

Mohamed M . M . A., Liu P. , & Nie G. ( 2022 ). Causality between technological innovation and economic growth: Evidence from the economies of developing countries. Sustainability, 14 ( 6 ), 3586 .

Guloglu B. , & Tekin R . B . ( 2012 ). A panel causality analysis of the relationship among research and development, innovation, and economic growth in high-income OECD countries. Eurasian Economic Review , 2 , 32 - 47 .

Maradana R. P. , Pradhan R. P. , Dash S. , Gaurav K. , Jayakumar M. , & Chatterjee D . ( 2017 ). Does innovation promote economic growth? Evidence from European countries . Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship , 6 , 1 - 23 .

Wei , Bing . ( 2024 ). An Empirical Study on R&D Investment and Innovation Performance in High-Tech Industries from 2013 to 2022 . E-Commerce Letters , 13 , 4254 .