Knowledge complexity and the multi-scalar dynamics of urban technology inflows and outflows: evidence from China’s Yangtze River Delta region
基于知识复杂性框架，研究城市知识基础如何影响其技术流入和流出，发现知识复杂性高的城市技术转移数量少但复杂度高，且城市规模调节了这种关系。
Building on the knowledge complexity framework, this study examines how a city’s knowledge base shapes its technology inflow and outflow across geographical scales. We employ the Knowledge Complexity Index (KCI) to characterise cities’ knowledge bases and the Technology Complexity Index (TCI) to capture the intrinsic sophistication of technologies. Using patent licencing data in China from 2009 to 2020, we analyse intra- and extra-regional technology transfers involving cities in the Yangtze River Delta Region (YRDR). The results show that cities with higher knowledge complexity engage in fewer technology transfers in quantitative terms but exchange technologies of higher complexity. These patterns generally hold for both inflows and outflows, though their magnitude differs between intra- and extra-regional scales. Moreover, city size mitigates the relationship between knowledge complexity and the volume of technology transfers. Overall, the findings highlight the central role of cities’ knowledge bases in shaping their multi-scalar technology transfer behaviours.