Intercity coopetition and regional innovation: The role of urban polycentricity
研究了城市间合作与竞争的动态平衡（多中心性）如何影响区域创新绩效，基于1990-2022年中国19个城市区域的专利数据，发现竞争关系的强度与平衡的交互作用驱动创新。
Intercity coopetition—the dynamic interplay between cooperation and competition—is central to regional innovation, enabling knowledge exchange across cities. However, the spatial organization of these dynamics among functionally diverse cities and their implications for regional innovation outcomes remain underexplored. This study examines how urban polycentricity, captured through the balance of intercity coopetition relations, affects regional innovation performance. Methodologically, we develop an intercity coopetition index that incorporates both geographical overlap in collaboration networks and technological proximity. Empirically, we draw on longitudinal patent co-application data from nineteen Chinese urban regions between 1990 and 2022. Using fixed effect and instrumental variables models, we find that a balance in cooperation alone has a negative effect on regional innovation. In contrast, regional innovation performance is driven by the interaction between the strength of competitive ties and the balance of competition across cities. We conclude by discussing the policy implications of these findings for fostering spatially coordinated innovation systems.