Examining Innovation Performance Enhancement in an Underdeveloped Chinese Region Using fsQCA

This research aims to advance regional innovation performance and stimulate economic development in Gansu Province, a less developed region in western China.Applying Regional Innovation System (RIS) theory, we employ fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to scrutinize influencing factors.The study delineates four distinct pathways for enhancing regional innovation performance: the knowledge-driven, urbanization-led, industrial structure optimization, and comprehensive development pathways.Pioneering in its approach to unraveling complex causal relationships within RIS, this research significantly enriches pertinent studies and RIS theories tailored for relatively backward regions like Gansu.Emphasizing its contribution to academic discourse, the study provides a policy analysis framework and theoretical reference, illuminating strategies for promoting RIS construction and bolstering regional innovation capacity in underdeveloped areas such as Gansu.