Regional Technology Development Path in an Open Developing Economy: Evidence from China

Tieli Li (1) , Miao Fu (2) , Xiaolan Fu (3)

1 Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
2 UCD - University College Dublin [Dublin]
3 Dept of International Development

This paper explores the paths of regional technology development in a large open developing economy. Findings from the research based on Chinese data suggest a differentiated approach to regional technology development. In technologically advanced regions, indigenous R&D plays a more important role than learning by doing while in backward regions the latter becomes more important. Interregional technology transfer is found to have a more significant impact on regional technology development than foreign direct investment and its effect intensifies when the technology level of the recipient region is close to the technological frontier. R&D plays a key role in both the assimilation of foreign technologies in advanced regions and the assimilation of interregional technology transfer; learning by doing only affects the latter.

Mots clés: Social Sciences & Humanities

Domaines: Économie et finance quantitative [q-fin]

Tieli Li, Miao Fu, Xiaolan Fu. Regional Technology Development Path in an Open Developing Economy: Evidence from China. Applied Economics, 2011, 45 (11), pp.1405-1418. ⟨10.1080/00036846.2011.617701⟩. ⟨hal-00768583⟩