A Study on the Impact of Intellectual Property Protection on Regional Innovation Efficiency Based on Mediation Effects: Evidence from China

Abstract

In the context of escalating economic globalization, global scientific and technological endeavours have surged, catalyzing intensified competition among sovereign entities. Currently, human society is in the throes of transitioning to a new economic epoch characterized by a foundation in knowledge resources. Within this epoch, technological innovation and intellectual property emerge as pivotal in augmenting the core competitiveness of nations. This investigation, leveraging data spanning from 2011 to 2020 across 30 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions within China (excluding Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), employs a moderating mediation effect model to scrutinize the mechanism by which the intensity of intellectual property protection influences regional innovation performance. The empirical findings elucidate that the enactment of pertinent policies not only reinforces the safeguarding of intellectual property, thereby amplifying regional innovation efficiency and the level of scientific and technological progress; however, it concurrently elevates the expenditures associated with scientific research and development. For small and medium-sized enterprises, the suboptimal ratio of investment return precipitates a deficiency in innovation impetus, subsequently exerting an adverse effect on regional R&D investment. Moreover, the influx of foreign direct investment (FDI) functions as a regulatory mechanism within this context, significantly moderating the correlation between intellectual property protection and innovation efficiency, in addition to exerting a positive moderative influence on the relationship between intellectual property protection and R&D investment.