Abstract According to 32 000 joint invention patents across provinces in China, we verified the relationships among geographic proximity, cooperative network and regional innovation performance with the help of social network analysis and regression analysis. In addition, we tested the mediating effect of cooperative network and moderating effect of openness. This study found that geographic proximity (weighted by the granted invention patents of provinces) not only enriched the structural holes, but also helped to enhance regional centrality and clustering in cooperative network. Moreover, the three characteristic variables (clustering, structural holes, and centrality) of cooperative network can mediate the impact of geographic proximity on regional innovation performance. In addition, openness positively moderated the relationship between cooperative network (clustering and centrality) and regional innovation performance.
XIE Qijun,SONG Wei. Research on the Mechanism of Geographical Proximity Affecting Inter-Regional Collaboration Networks and Regional Innovation Performance[J]. Chinese Journal of Management, 2020, 17(7): 1016-.
