Agglomeration of Producer Services, Informatization Level and Innovation: Based on the Spatial Spillover Perspective of Geographical Distance Constraint [in Chinese]

Abstract: Innovation, which as the first driving force for development, is the strategic support for building a modern economic system and the important guarantee for achieving sustainable and high-quality development. Under the background of the “economic new normal” and accelerating the construction of a new pattern of regional development, how to effectively promote and enhance the vitality of regional innovation and development is related to the high-quality economic development and the realization of the goal of building a powerful country with science and technology of China. It is of great practical significance to continuously promote innovation-driven development strategy and cultivate new momentum of economic development.

  Based on the relevant theories of new economic geography, regional economics and urban agglomeration, this paper combs the theoretical mechanism of industrial specialization agglomeration, diversification agglomeration, informatization level and geographical distance constraint on regional innovation development, and reveals that it is mainly affected by MAR externality of industrial specialization agglomeration, Jacobs externality of diversification agglomeration, IDE externality of informatization level and SOC externality of geographical distance constraint. In order to further verify the above theoretical mechanism, this paper takes 283 prefecture-level and above cities in China over the period of 2007-2019 as the sample, and obtains the spatial weight matrix, which reflecting the geographical distance constraint between cities by manual processing. After Moran’s I test, LM test, LR test, Wald test, Hausman test and Joint Significance test, the spatial Durbin model with the individual and time fixed effects, which considering of knowledge spatial spillover, is finally determined and constructed, so as to verify the effect of specialization agglomeration, diversification agglomeration of producer services and informatization level on regional innovation development under the weakening of geographical distance constraint, and discusses its theoretical mechanism.

  The results show that: (1) The innovation development level of cities in China has significant spatial autocorrelation and positive spatial spillover effect of knowledge, and it shows a growing trend with the weakening of geographical distance constraint. (2) Specialization agglomeration of producer services can significantly promote innovation development of regional and adjacent areas, and its effect is also effectively improved with the weakening of geographical distance constraint. (3) The driving effect of diversification agglomeration of producer services on regional innovation development is also significant, but the effect is weaker than specialization agglomeration, and there is no significant positive spatial spillover in adjacent areas, even if with the weakening of geographical distance constraint, it has not been substantially improved. (4) The IDE externality is only effective for “codified knowledge”. That is when only relying on “online communication”, it has no significant effect on the innovation development of regional and adjacent areas. Only by combining “online communication” with the SOC externality generated by the weakening of geographical distance constraint can it effectively play its positive and significant spatial spillover effect. In other words, “online communication” and “face-to-face communication” are not completely substitutes for each other and only by effectively using the two ways can the expected effect be achieved. (5) Regional economic development, human capital investment, R&D expenditure, market scale expansion and environmental regulation can promote the innovation development of regional with economic significance. However, in addition to the positive incentive effect of R&D expenditure and market scale expansion on the innovation development of adjacent areas, other factors have potential crowding-out effects.

  The above research conclusions are still valid after a series of robustness and endogeneity tests, which can provide theoretical reference and practical evidence for the follow-up implementation of innovation development strategy planning and continuous promotion of regional innovation development in various regions of China. Firstly, it is necessary to further rationally plan the overall layout and structure optimization of the industry at the national and regional levels, especially emphasize and pay attention to the unique advantages of professional agglomeration of producer service on innovation development of regional and adjacent areas, and give reasonable consideration of diversification agglomeration of producer services. Secondly, only by combining “online communication” with “face-to-face communication”, can more effectively promote the innovation development of regional, so it is necessary to continuously promote the systematization of new infrastructure construction of industrial internet and rationally plan the construction of national comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network represented by high-speed rail and regional integration development in the future. Finally, local governments should pay attention to the positive effect of R&D expenditure and market scale expansion on the innovation development of regional and adjacent areas, and provide the necessary fiscal support and market incentives; as far as possible to maintain inter-regional strategic objectives and planning unity, avoid the “beggar-thy-neighbor” exclusive development situation, which including the siphon effect of economic growth, crowding-out effect of human capital investment and inter-regional transfer effect of environmental pollution, etc.

  In short, in order to create a good environment for innovation development, from the national and local government level, the key is to continuously optimize the industrial space layout; from the enterprise level, the key is to provide funds, talents and technical support.

Key words: Producer Services Agglomeration; Information Level; Geographic Distance Constraint; Regional Innovation Development; Spatial Spillover Effect

  创新是引领发展的第一动力，是建设现代化经济体系的战略支撑，是实现可持续高质量发展的重要保障。在经济新常态和加快构建区域发展新格局的时代背景下，如何有效促进和增强区域创新发展活力，事关中国经济高质量发展和建设科技强国目标实现，对于持续推进创新驱动发展战略和培育壮大经济发展新动能具有极为重要的现实意义。

  本文在借鉴新经济地理学、区域经济学和城市群相关理论基础上，通过梳理产业专业化集聚、多样化集聚、信息化水平和地理距离约束对区域创新发展的理论作用机理，揭示了区域创新发展主要受产业专业化集聚的 MAR 外部性、多样化集聚的 Jacobs 外部性、信息化水平的 IDE 外部性以及地理距离约束的 SOC 外部性 4 个渠道影响。 为进一步验证上述理论分析的合理性，本文以中国 2007—2019 年 283 个地级及以上城市为研究样本，经手工整理得到地区间火车与动车实际运营信息作为反映地理距离约束强度的空间权重矩阵，并经过 Moran’s I 空间自相关检验、 LM 检验、LR 检验、Wald 检验、Hausman 检验以及联合显著性检验，最终确定并 构建考虑知识空间溢出的时空双固定效应下的空间杜宾模型，以考察在地理距离约束弱化的现实情况下，生产性服务业专业化集聚、多样化集聚以及信息化水平对区域创新发展的影响效应，并就其潜在的作用机制展开探讨。

  研究结果表明：（1）中国各城市创新发展水平存在显著的空间自相关特征，且知识的正向空间溢出效应明显，并随着地理距离约束弱化呈现不断增长态势。（2）生产性服务业专业化集聚能够显著地促进本地区和邻近地区创新发展，且其影响效应同样随着地理距离约束弱化得到有效提升。（3）生产性服务业多样化集 聚对本地区创新发展的带动作用同样显著，但促进效应弱于专业化集聚，且对邻近地区并不存在显著的正向空间溢出，即便地理距离约束弱化也并没有得到实质性改善。（4）互联网信息化发展产生的 IDE 外部性仅对显性知识有效，当仅依靠“线上交流”且地理距离约束较强时，其对本地区和邻近地区创新发展并没有显著影响， 只有与地理距离约束弱化产生的 SOC 外部性相结合才能有效发挥其正向空间溢出效应，亦即“线上交流”与“面对面交流”并非相互完全替代关系，只有有效利用好两种方式，才能更好地达到提升区域创新发展水平的预期效果。（5）地区经济发展、人力资本投资、科研财政投入、市场规模扩张以及环境规制力度等均在经济 意义上能够促进本地区创新发展水平提升，但除了科研财政投入和市场规模扩张对邻近地区创新发展存在正向激励效应外，其余因素均具有潜在的挤出效应。

  以上研究结论经过系列稳健性与内生性检验后依然成立，可为后续中国各地 区深入落实创新发展战略规划和持续推进区域创新发展水平提升提供理论参考与现实佐证：首先， 需要进一步合理规划全国和地区层面的产业总体布局及结构优化，特别强调和注重发挥生产线服务业专业化集聚促进创新发展的独特优势，适 度兼顾产业多样化发展。其次，只有同时保持“线上交流”与“面对面交流”并重，才能更加有效地推动区域创新发展，故既要持续推进工业互联网新型基础设施建 设体系化，又要对未来以高铁为代表的国家综合立体交通网建设和区域一体化发 展进行合理规划。最后，各级地方政府既要重视科研财政以及市场规模扩张等对本地区和邻近地区整体创新水平提升的促进作用，有计划地为区域创新发展提供必 要的资金支持和市场激励；又要尽可能保持区际间的战略目标和规划统一，避免形成经济增长的虹吸效应、人力资本投资的挤出效应以及环境污染的区际转移效应 等“以邻为壑”的“排他性”发展局面。

  总之，为营造良好的创新发展环境，从国家和地方政府层面出发，关键在于不断优化产业空间布局、加强互联网和交通基础设施建设；从企业层面出发，关键在于为创新研发活动提供良好的资金、人才和技术支持。

关键词：生产性服务业集聚；信息化水平；地理距离约束；区域创新发展；空间溢出效应