Evolution of Regional Innovation with Spatial Knowledge Spillovers: Convergence or Divergence?

This paper extends endogenous economic growth models to incorporate knowledge externality. We explore whether spatial knowledge spillovers among regions exist, whether spatial knowledge spillovers promote regional innovative activities, and whether external knowledge spillovers affect the evolution of regional innovations in the long run. We empirically verify the theoretical results through applying spatial statistics and econometric models in the analysis of panel data of 31 regions in China. An accurate estimate of the range of knowledge spillovers is achieved and the convergence of regional knowledge growth rate is found, with clear evidences that developing regions benefit more from external knowledge spillovers than developed regions.