Observational analysis reveals that inter-city innovation cooperation reduces innovation gap disparities, suggesting implications for regional coordinated development.
Persistent inequality in urban innovation constrains regional coordinated development in China. Using data on patent applications and city characteristics from 2014–2018, this study examines whether inter-city innovation cooperation promotes convergence in innovation gaps. Results show that cooperation significantly reduces disparities, following an inverted U-shaped pattern, with greater benefits for small- and medium-sized cities with weaker resource endowments. The findings elucidate the mechanisms through which cooperation narrows gaps, offering policy insights for building a unified national market and advancing common prosperity.
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Li Ma (2025) studied this question.
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