Research On The Improvement Paths Of Regional Innovation Performance Under Digital Economy

In the complex context of the digital era and innovation driven development becoming a national strategic direction,the digital economy has become an important driving force for the development of national and regional innovation capabilities.As an economic form,the digital economy inevitably has a relationship with regional innovation performance,but this relationship benefits from the integration of other innovation factors.In view of this,this article,based on synergy theory and dynamic configuration theory,refines the influencing factor model that drives regional innovation performance,analyzes the improvement path of regional innovation performance and the dynamic linkage mechanism between various influencing factors from the perspective of the digital economy,hoping to provide some reference for regional development and construction.This article first reviews and summarizes the literature on the digital economy,regional innovation performance,and the relationship between them,clarifying the overall trend of research on regional innovation performance enabled by the digital economy,clarifying the shortcomings of current research,and determining the theoretical model of factors affecting regional innovation performance.The model is briefly described as follows: innovation foundation dimension(R&D investment,talent investment),innovation environment dimension(opening up level,structural optimization level),and digital economy dimension(development level of digital economy).Based on panel data from 31 provinces and cities in China from 2013 to 2020,this paper uses the entropy weight method to measure China’s inter provincial regional innovation performance,and uses the principal component analysis method to construct a measurement method for the development level of China’s regional digital economy.Using R language and fs QCA3.0 software,combining the necessary condition analysis method and dynamic qualitative comparative analysis method,this paper studies the key drivers and implementation paths of China’s regional innovation performance.Finally,based on the research conclusions,reasonable policy recommendations are provided for the improvement of innovation levels in various regions.The research shows that:(1)The comprehensive analysis of fs QCA and NCA shows that R&D investment,talent investment,and level of openness are necessary conditions to drive regional innovation performance,with R&D investment being the most necessary to improve regional innovation performance.(2)There are three ways to drive high regional innovation performance,namely,"innovation based digital economy","innovation based",and "R&D investment balanced".The eastern region mainly focuses on "innovation based digital economy" and "R&D investment balanced",while the central and western regions mainly focus on "innovation based".There are two configuration paths that drive low regional innovation performance.High regional innovation performance paths and low regional innovation performance paths have the characteristics of "different paths leading to the same goal" and asymmetry Using the dynamic QCA method,it is found that not all regions need to increase R&D investment and talent investment simultaneously.For regions with a solid foundation for innovation,the positive role of the digital economy will gradually become prominent over time.The combination of high R&D investment,high talent investment,and high level of openness is the dominant trajectory driving regional innovation performance,and plays an important role in driving regional innovation performance.The main contributions of this article are as follows: First,improve the theoretical results of the antecedents of regional innovation performance,and enhance the theoretical explanatory power of the digital economy driving regional innovation performance.Secondly,in terms of research methods,in response to the call of scholars to incorporate dynamic thinking into configuration analysis,the dynamic QCA method was used to explore and compare the paths of regional innovation performance improvement in the periods 2013-2015 and 2016-2018,exploring the complex causal relationships and evolution tracks at different stages.On the one hand,the research conclusions are helpful to reveal the interaction and synergy between the antecedents of regional innovation performance.On the other hand,clarifying the bottlenecks and complex mechanisms that affect regional innovation performance at different stages provides important practical implications for the development of regional innovation.