How does innovation network improve high-quality development? Evidence from Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle

Countries worldwide have been increasingly embracing technological innovation to achieve intelligent, resilient, and sustainable urban development. In China, innovation serves as the primary driving force and a critical pillar of the country’s revitalization strategy, which aims to advance toward high-quality development (HQD). The objective of this study is to evaluate the innovation network (IN) and its impacts on HQD in cities within the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle (CCEC) and to uncover the underlying influence mechanisms of the IN. By employing social network analysis, panel regression models, and mediating effect models based on patent and socio-economic data, the results demonstrate that IN significantly drives HQD. These findings remain robust after accounting for endogeneity and conducting robustness checks. Furthermore, ICT infrastructure is identified as a significant mediating factor in the relationship between IN and HQD. In addition, the IN of patent collaboration in the CCEC is evolving, with Chongqing and Chengdu identified as the core hubs driving regional spillover. Through the IN, innovation stakeholders in the CCEC can improve resource sharing and enhance the network's overall innovation level, thereby promoting HQD. This study has important implications for understanding collaborative innovation in urban development and provides differentiated policy references for core and peripheral cities.