Abstract
Based on the spatial Durbin model, this paper explored postgraduate education’s influence and spatial effects on technological innovation. Using China’s provincial panel data from 2004 to 2018, study results revealed that distribution of postgraduates in China showed spatial autocorrelation and non-equilibrium. Overall, postgraduate education positively impacted technological innovation. The study measured spatial spillover using three spatial weight matrices, finding that postgraduate education significantly promoted innovation in similar provinces. The spatial spillover effect in the economic matrix was stronger than that in the adjacent matrix. In economic and economic-geographical matrices, postgraduate education’s spatial spillover effect was stronger than its direct effect. This paper can deepen understanding of characteristics and functions of postgraduate education in a rapidly developing economy.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acs, Z. J., Anselin, L., & Varga, A. (2002). Patents and innovation counts as measures of regional production of new knowledge. Research Policy, 31(7), 1069–1085.
Benos, N., Karagiannis, S., & Karkalakos, S. (2015). Proximity and growth spillovers in European regions: The role of geographical, economic, and technological linkages. Journal of Macroeconomics, 43, 124–139.
Bodman, P., & Le, T. (2013). Assessing the roles that absorptive capacity and economic distance play in the foreign direct investment-productivity growth nexus. Applied Economics, 45(8), 1027–1039.
Breschi, S., & Lissoni, F. (2009). Mobility of skilled workers and co-invention networks: An anatomy of localized knowledge flows. Journal of Economic Geography, 9(4), 439–468.
Bush, C. T., & Lowery, B. (2016). Postgraduate nurse practitioner education: Impact on job satisfaction. Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 12(4), 226–234.
Busse, M., & Hefeker, C. (2007). Political risk, institutions and foreign direct investment. European Journal of Political Economy, 23(2), 397–415.
Deltas, G., & Karkalakos, S. (2013). Similarity of R&D activities, physical proximity, and R&D spillovers. Regional Science & Urban Economics, 43(1), 124–131.
Drivas, K., Economidou, C., & Karkalakos, S. (2014). Spatial aspects of innovation activity in the US. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 5, 464–480.
Endedijk, M. D., Vermunt, J. D., Meijer, P. C., & Brekelmans, M. (2014). Students’ development in self-regulated learning in postgraduate professional education: A longitudinal study. Studies in Higher Education, 39(7), 1116–1138.
Faggian, A., Mccann, P., & Sheppard, S. (2007). Human capital, higher education and graduate migration: An analysis of Scottish and welsh students. Urban Studies, 44(13), 2511–2528.
Furman, J. L., Porter, M. E., & Stern, S. (2002). The determinants of national innovative capacity. Research Policy, 31(6), 899–933.
Gennaioli, N., Porta, R. L., & Lopez-De-Silanes, F. (2013). Human capital and regional development. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 128(1), 105–164.
Guimarães, J. A., & Humann, M. C. (1995). Training of human resources in science and technology in Brazil: The importance of a vigorous post-graduate program and its impact on the development of the country. Scientometrics, 34, 101–119.
LeSage, J. P., & Pace, R. K. (2009). Introduction to spatial econometrics. Statisticsa series of textbooks and monographs. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis Group/Chapman and Hall/CRC.
Marrocu, E., & Paci, R. (2012). Education or creativity: What matters most for economic performance? Economic Geography, 88(4), 369–401.
Ng, A. K. Y., Koo, A. C., & Ho, W. C. J. (2009). The motivations and added values of embarking on postgraduate professional education: Evidences from the maritime industry. Transport Policy, 16(5), 251–258.
Poot, J., & Strutt, A. (2010). International trade agreements and international migration. The World Economy, 33, 1923–1954.
Qin, X., Du, D., & Kwan, M. P. (2019). Spatial spillovers and value chain spillovers: Evaluating regional R&D efficiency and its spillover effects in China. Scientometrics, 119(2), 721–747.
Romer, P. M. (1990). Endogenous technological change. Journal of Political Economy, 98(5), 71–102.
Squicciarini, M. P., & Voigtländer, N. (2015). Human capital and industrialization: Evidence from the age of enlightenment. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(4), 1825–1883.
Tientao, A., Legros, D., & Pichery, M. C. (2016). Technology spillover and TFP growth: A spatial Durbin model. International Economics, 145(5), 21–31.
Varsakelis, N. C. (2006). Education, political institutions and innovative activity: A cross-country empirical investigation. Research Policy, 35(7), 1083–1090.
Wang, C., Yang, J., Cheng, Z., & Ni, C. (2019). Postgraduate education of board members and R&D investment—Evidence from China. Sustainability, 11(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/su11226524.
Wang, Y. (2020). Does education exchange matters? Evidence from education cooperation effects on OFDI. International Review of Economics and Finance, 67, 55–65.
Yang, Y., Cai, W. J., & Wang, C. (2014). Industrial CO2 intensity, indigenous innovation and R&D spillover in China’s province. Applied Energy, 131(10), 117–127.
Acknowledgements
This paper is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71702069), the Higher Education Research Foundation of Nanjing University of Finance and Economics (Grant No. GJ2018), and the Education Department of Hainan Province (Grant No. Hnjg2018ZD-10).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Xiao, H., Mao, J. Effects of postgraduate education on technological innovation: a study based on the spatial Durbin model. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 22, 89–99 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-020-09652-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-020-09652-y