Title: Technology Transfer and Domestic Innovation: Evidence from the High-Speed Rail Sector in China 

Speaker: Qin Yu, National University of Singapore

Time: March 31st, 2017 13:30–14:45

Venue: Conference Room 106B, Zhonghui Building (College of Economics, JNU)

About the speaker:

Qin Yu is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Real Estate, National University of Singapore. She obtained her PhD in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University in 2014. Qin Yu’s primary research areas include transportation infrastructure, innovation, air pollution and other policy-oriented research topics in the housing and land market. Her research has been accepted or published in Journal of Economic Geography, Regional Science and Urban Economics, World Development, Real Estate Economics, IZA Journal of Labor & Development and Asian Economic Policy Review. She received the Gregory Chow’s Best Paper Award in the 2012 CES Annual Conference for her research about high-speed rail upgrade in China.

Abstract:

This paper investigates China’s high-speed railway (HSR) technology introduction to show how it spurs innovation in local regions and in relevant industries. The large-scale technology introduction, covering specific technology categories and directly benefiting railway-related firms from various cities, enables us to specifically depict how foreign technology is digested and spurs follow-up innovation in and out of directly receiving firms. We find that technology transfer leads to a 42% significant increase in HSR-related patents granted in cities with direct technology receivers. In addition, we also find evidence on sizable spillovers to firms that are not directly related to the railway industry, whereas technology similarity and the existence of relevant research institutions play important roles.