Proximity effect, preferential attachment and path dependence in inter-regional network: a case of China’s technology transaction

Yutao Sun () and Kai Liu
Additional contact information
Yutao Sun: Dalian University of Technology
Kai Liu: Dalian University of Technology

Scientometrics, 2016, vol. 108, issue 1, No 10, 220 pages

Abstract: Abstract We analyze whether proximity effect, preferential attachment and path dependence or three “P” mechanisms would concur within the evolutionary process of inter-regional network. Using a unique database of China’s technology transaction between regions, we show that proximity effect, preferential attachment and path dependence have coexisted in the evolutionary process of China’s inter-regional network of technology transactions. In particular, the inter-regional relations positively and significantly correlate with the geographical and economic proximity matrix, all regions’ three centrality values in current year positively and significantly correlate with their centrality in the last two years, and the inter-regional relations in current year positively and significantly correlate with own relations in last two years. This paper contributes to the existing literature by identifying three evolutionary mechanisms of inter-regional network. An interpretation is that the evolution process of inter-regional network is a very complex process, and one mechanism such as geographical proximity from the perspective of economic geography or preferential attachment from the perspective of network science only could explain a part of the process.

Keywords: Technology transaction; Inter-regional network; Proximity effect; Preferential attachment; Path dependence; Social network analysis; Centrality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (23)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11192-016-1951-0 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

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:spr:scient:v:108:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-016-1951-0

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11192

DOI: 10.1007/s11192-016-1951-0

Access Statistics for this article

Scientometrics is currently edited by Wolfgang Glänzel

More articles in Scientometrics from Springer, Akadémiai Kiadó
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().