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

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

10卷第7期

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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
2026年10卷第7期页码：96-104
纸质出版：2026-07-30
DOI：10.47297/wspdecWSP2515-797319.20261007
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Xinrui Zhang, Yuhang She & Wenting Zhou. (2026). Exploring the Impact of Multidimensional R&D Investment in High-Technology Industries on Regional GDP Per Capita Across China. 发展经济学, 10(7), 96-104.

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.
Xinrui Zhang, Yuhang She & Wenting Zhou. (2026). Exploring the Impact of Multidimensional R&D Investment in High-Technology Industries on Regional GDP Per Capita Across China. 发展经济学, 10(7), 96-104. DOI： 10.47297/wspdecWSP2515-797319.20261007.

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.

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Keywords

references

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