Does Industrial Transfer Promote Technology Diffusion: A Case Study of Chinese Prefecture-level Cities Based on a Multi-dimensional Proximity Perspective
摘要
Industrial transfer is a crucial carrier of technology flow and knowledge diffusion across space and multi-dimensional proximity is a key mechanism to understand the technology diffusion effect of industrial transfer. This paper employs China’s inter-city input-output table and patent transfer data from 2012 to 2017 to innovatively examine the technology diffusion effect of inter-city industrial transfer in China based on the perspective of multi-dimensional proximity through a zero-inflated negative binomial regression model. The findings are as follows: ① During the study period, China’s inter-city industrial transfer and technology transfer exhibit significant agglomeration and spatial imbalances, and the four major city clusters of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (Jing-Jin-Ji), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), Pearl River Delta (PRD), and Chengdu-Chongqing form the diamond pattern of the industrial transfer network in China, while the three major city clusters of Jing-Jin-Ji, YRD, and PRD form the triangular structure of the inter-city technology transfer; ② China’s industrial transfer exerts a significant technology diffusion effect. Multi-dimensional proximity influences technology diffusion during industrial transfer: greater geographical and technological proximity enhances the technology diffusion effect, while organizational proximity does not have a statistically significant moderating effect on the technology diffusion effect of industrial transfer. The results can provide guidance for China to develop regional industrial transfer cooperation strategies, promote the orderly transfer of industries, and help cities expand their access to external knowledge and technology transfer channels.