Entrepreneurship drives breakthrough innovation and enterprise total factor productivity

He Xiaogang, Liu Jiaqi, Chen Yuan

Science Research Management ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (9) : 112-122.

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Science Research Management ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (9) : 112-122. DOI: 10.19571/j.cnki.1000-2995.2026.09.011  CSTR: 32148.14.kygl.2026.09.011

Entrepreneurship drives breakthrough innovation and enterprise total factor productivity

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Abstract

Entrepreneurship serves as a critical lever for developing new quality productive forces,yet existing research has largely overlooked the complex dimensions of Chinese entrepreneurship and the symbiotic relationships among these dimensions. Using a mixed-method approach that integrates dynamic QCA with regression analysis,this study conducted a configurational investigation of Chinese A-share listed firms from 2010 to 2022 to explore the multiple pathways through which entrepreneurship drives breakthrough innovation and to examine its direct and indirect effects on firms' total factor productivity (TFP). The results revealed that international vanguard entrepreneurship,responsibility-balanced entrepreneurship,and performance-oriented entrepreneurship constitute distinct configurations that lead to high levels of breakthrough innovation. However,the consistency among these configurations has declined after 2020,and their internal consistency and coverage vary across ownership types,firm size,degrees of marketization,and levels of media attention. Moreover,breakthrough innovation plays a complex mediating role between these three entrepreneurial configurations and firms' TFP,indicating that all three forms of entrepreneurship enhance TFP by enabling firms to achieve breakthrough innovation. By integrating multiple dimensions of Chinese entrepreneurship,this study uncovers the diverse pathways that underpin firms' breakthrough innovation and further clarifies how different entrepreneurship configurations exert both direct and indirect influences on total factor productivity,offering valuable insights for fostering entrepreneurship to advance innovation-driven new quality productive forces.

Key words

entrepreneurship / breakthrough innovation / total factor productivity / QCA

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He Xiaogang , Liu Jiaqi , Chen Yuan. Entrepreneurship drives breakthrough innovation and enterprise total factor productivity[J]. Science Research Management. 2026, 47(9): 112-122 https://doi.org/10.19571/j.cnki.1000-2995.2026.09.011

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