Science Research Management ›› 2021, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (4): 131-137.

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Specialized agglomeration, human capital mismatch and  innovation performance of the high-tech industry—A case study by taking the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry as an example

Li Tuochen, Liang Lei, Li Yunchang   

  1. School of Economics and Management, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, Heilongjiang, China
  • Received:2018-05-18 Revised:2018-10-15 Online:2021-04-20 Published:2021-04-19

Abstract: Innovation is the first driving force leading development. As a knowledge- and technology-intensive industry, technological innovation in high-tech industries is particularly important. It is not only the internal driving force and fundamental way to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, but also the key support for the country to occupy the high ground of global competition. Exerting the external characteristics of industrial agglomeration is an important way to improve the performance of technological innovation, and the exertion of externalities depends on the existing conditions in each region. Resource allocation is the basic condition for the development of regional high-tech industries, and its mismatch index will affect the innovation-driven effect of agglomeration. Therefore, considering the mismatch condition of regional human capital and associating it with professional agglomeration and innovation performance, taking the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in the high-tech industry as an example, based on the use of variable coefficient model (LSDV) to measure the human capital mismatch index of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in various regions, this paper constructs a panel threshold model of industry agglomeration driving innovation performance with the threshold of human capital mismatch, and empirically studies the threshold characteristics and regional heterogeneity of professional agglomeration on innovation performance. The purpose is to explore whether there are regional differences in professional agglomeration-driven industrial innovation performance under different levels of human capital mismatch, so as to reveal the "black box" of industrial agglomeration externalities driving innovation and development. Through an empirical testing, the following results are obtained: first, during the inspection period, various regions of China have different levels of human capital mismatch problems, and there are significant differences between regions. Among them, the mismatch of human capital in most parts of the eastern region is relatively light, but all show positive mismatch characteristics. The mismatch of human capital in the central and western regions is more serious, and the mismatch is mainly negative. The impact of professional concentration in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry on innovation performance is limited by the degree of regional human capital mismatch, and there is a significant double-threshold effect. Different human capital mismatches, innovation performance will be affected by different agglomeration externalities. Specifically, when the human capital mismatch index is low, professional agglomeration has a positive impact on innovation performance at a significant level of 10%. When the human capital mismatch index is a moderate mismatch, professional concentration has a negative impact on innovation performance at a significant level of 1%. When the human capital mismatch index is high, professional concentration has an extremely insignificant inhibitory effect on innovation performance. Therefore, the government should further strengthen the construction of the labor marketization process, reduce unreasonable intervention, and enable the market to give full play to the role of human capital allocation. Second, different regions should adopt differentiated industrial agglomeration policies. The government must re-examine the human capital allocation of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in the region, rationally arrange the staffing, and reduce the human capital mismatch index in order to give play to the positive externalities of industrial agglomeration on innovation performance.

Key words:  specialized agglomeration, human capital mismatch, pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, innovation performance