Interurban Innovation Networks and Export Quality

Kuo Zhou, Jian Wang and Sipeng Zeng

China & World Economy, 2026, vol. 34, issue 4, 3-41

Abstract: Although the role of innovation in export upgrading has been widely acknowledged, the impact of interurban innovation networks on export product quality remains underexplored. This study examined how interurban innovation collaborations influenced export quality in China using joint patent application and customs trade data from 2001 to 2015. Stronger innovation linkages between cities significantly improved export quality, and this result was robust to a range of checks and to an instrumental variable strategy that alleviated endogeneity concerns. The effect arose mainly through stronger innovation capacity, lower information costs, and more efficient resource allocation. It was more pronounced for exports to developed markets, in core cities, and in cities with greater absorptive capacity, and was strengthened by informal institutions such as social trust and cultural diversity. These results clarify the contribution of innovation to export upgrading from the perspective of network externalities and offer policy implications for strengthening interurban innovation collaboration and advancing high‐quality trade development.

Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/cwe.70034

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:chinae:v:34:y:2026:i:4:p:3-41

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=1671-2234

Access Statistics for this article

China & World Economy is currently edited by Yongding Yu

More articles in China & World Economy from Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().