城市群中心城市知识溢出与创新外部性

赵佩佩　江曼琦

（南开大学）

内容提要：在日益强调城市群中心城市辐射带动作用的背景下，如何发挥中心城市创新外部性和提高非中心城市创新效率是城市群发展新质生产力面临的重要问题。本文基于新经济地理框架，构建能够分离城市群中心城市和非中心城市知识溢出和吸收能力行为的理论模型，考察城市群中心城市知识溢出及其产生的创新外部性效果，并对中国18个主要城市群进行实证分析。结果表明，中国城市群中心城市知识溢出能够提高非中心城市创新水平，中心城市知识溢出主要通过增加企业收益、强化研发投入、推动技术集聚等方式来提高非中心城市创新水平，非中心城市的吸收能力、城市间交通便利程度和城市群市场化水平在其中起积极作用。异质性分析结果显示，在市场化程度高、城市距离较短、创新基础设施完善、空间功能分工协调、多中心化发展、产业结构先进的城市群中，其中心城市强化知识溢出能更高效地提升非中心城市创新水平。基于研究结论，本文从优化城市职能分工、强化城市间联通、构筑城市群产业链等角度提出政策建议。

关键词：城市群；知识溢出；吸收能力；创新；创新外部性；协调发展

作者简介：赵佩佩，南开大学经济学院博士研究生，天津，300071；江曼琦，南开大学经济学院/经济行为与政策模拟实验室教授、博士生导师，通信作者。

基金项目：重庆市社会科学规划青年项目“数字经济赋能重庆新质生产力的内在机理、效应评估与路径优化研究”（2024NDQN037）；重庆市教育科学规划重点课题“重庆高校科技成果转化现状及政策支持研究”（K24YD2080082）

引用格式：赵佩佩,江曼琦.城市群中心城市知识溢出与创新外部性[J].经济与管理研究,2025,46(8):76-94.

Knowledge Spillover and Innovation Externality of Central Cities in City Clusters

ZHAO Peipei, JIANG Manqi

(Nankai University, Tianjin 300071)

Abstract: Against the background of growing emphasis on the radiating and driving roles of central cities in city clusters, the knowledge spillover of central cities can greatly reduce the original innovation costs of non-central cities. If non-central cities can effectively absorb the knowledge spillover of central cities, it will have a positive impact on narrowing the innovation capability gap between cities. Therefore, how to leverage the innovation externality of central cities and improve the innovation efficiency of non-central cities is a crucial issue for the development of new quality productive forces in city clusters, and is also of great significance for achieving the goal of coordinated regional innovation development.

This paper constructs a theoretical model based on the new economic geography framework that can separate the knowledge spillover and absorptive capacities of central and non-central cities in city clusters. This model illustrates the innovation externality effect generated by the knowledge spillover of central cities in city clusters, as well as the moderating roles played by absorptive capacity, transportation convenience, and marketization level. Using the data of R&D investment and patent output of 18 major city clusters in China from 2007 to 2021, the findings reveal that the knowledge spillover of central cities in city clusters can enhance the innovation output of non-central cities. The improvement in the absorptive capacity of non-central cities, the transportation convenience between central and non-central cities, and the higher marketization level of city clusters can amplify the knowledge spillover externality of central cities. The knowledge spillover from central cities primarily enhances the innovative output of non-central cities through three mechanisms: increasing firm profits or reducing production costs, strengthening R&D investment, and promoting technological agglomeration. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that city clusters with a high level of marketization, a short distance between their central and non-central cities, complete innovation infrastructure, coordinated spatial functional division of labor, polycentric spatial structure, and optimized industrial structures can make better use of the knowledge spillover of central cities to boost the innovation output of non-central cities.

The conclusions of this paper offer valuable implications for strengthening the knowledge spillover of central cities, guiding the formation of innovation echelons among cities of different sizes, and enhancing the innovation capability of city clusters. Finally, this paper puts forward policy suggestions from three aspects: optimizing the division of urban functions and promoting the orderly transfer of industries, improving the infrastructure construction of city clusters to facilitate communication between central and non-central cities, and constructing industrial chains with city clusters and strengthening urban innovation collaboration.

Keywords: city cluster; knowledge spillover; absorptive capacity; innovation; innovation externality; coordinated development

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