The innovative momentum of knowledge sharing: How does strengthening community libraries boost patent output?
Zhouhong Wang, Sitian Qiu, Tongshu Wu, Yue Bian, Peng Xiao
The community library has demonstrated potential in supporting innovation. The causal relationship between library services and innovation, focusing on how community libraries promote knowledge dissemination and increase patent output, was investigated. Using the Community Library Enhancement Program in a Chinese province as a quasi-natural experiment, the difference-in-differences method was applied to examine the effect on patent publications in 122 counties. The results demonstrate that the community libraries have significantly increased patent output, particularly in regions with lower innovation performance, by strengthening cooperative relationships with the higher-level libraries. The circulation of the libraries increased significantly during the policy implementation, yet the activities held did not. This contrast indicates the limitations in community libraries in providing opportunities for sharing tacit knowledge and promoting deeper innovation activities. The role of library services in fostering innovation and the need for community libraries to implement more inspiring and intellectually stimulating interactive library activities to enhance tacit knowledge sharing were substantiated, thereby maximizing their contribution to innovation.
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Does building smart cities necessarily enhance urban ICT development? Insights from a quasi-natural experiment based on Chinese pilot policy
Zhouhong Wang, Shuxian Liu, Jia Li, Peng Xiao*
[Purpose] With the help of a quasi-natural experiment on Chinese policies, this study aims to understand the actual contribution of Smart City (SC) policies to the development of information and communications technology (ICT) in different cities. It also discusses the social and digital differences that such policies may generate, with a particular focus on the potential for exacerbating urban inequalities.
[Design/methodology/approach] To achieve this, the study employs a principal component analysis (PCA) to develop an ICT development indicator system. It then employs a difference-in-differences (DID) model to analyze panel data from 209 Chinese cities over the period from 2007 to 2019, examining the impact of SC policies on ICT development across various urban settings.
[Findings] Our findings show that SC policies have significantly contributed to the enhancement of ICT development, especially in ICT usage. However, SC policies may inadvertently reinforce developmental disparities among cities. Compared to less developed areas, the benefits of SC policies are more pronounced in economically booming cities. This is likely due to the agglomeration of the ICT industry and the strong allure of developed urban centers for high-caliber talent.
[Originality/value] This study contributes to the related literature by explaining the role of SC policies in driving ICT development and by focusing on the often-overlooked impact of SC policies on urban inequality. These findings can provide guidance to policymakers on the need to recognize and address existing urban inequalities.
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