Abstract Using a panel data set comprising 284 prefecture‐level and above cities in China during 2005–2018, this study develops a theoretical mechanism harnessing the spatial Durbin model (SDM) to accumulate evidence and explain how innovation affects China's economic growth. It is found that regional economic growth is facilitated by local innovation activities as well as the absorption capacity of innovation and technology spilled over from other regions. This study also identifies 12 regional innovation poles across the country, which are found to have played a significant role in promoting urban economic development within a physical distance range of 150 km of a given region. This finding attests to the radiation effect from regional innovation poles in cultivating more such poles for China, to promote sustainable high‐quality economic growth, suggesting a route for China to avoid the curse of the middle‐income trap.

Yu Zheng

Alan Collins

Shujie Yao

Journal of Regional Science

The Journal of Regional Science (JRS) publishes original analytical research at the intersection of economics and quantitative geography. Since 1958, the JRS has published leading contributions to urban and regional thought including rigorous methodological contributions and seminal theoretical pieces. The JRS is one of the most highly cited journals in urban and regional research, planning, geography, and the environment. The JRS publishes work that advances our understanding of the geographic dimensions of urban and regional economies, human settlements, and policies related to cities and regions.

The Journal of Regional Science (JRS) has been publishing original analytical research at the intersection of economics and quantitative geography since 1958. The journal features significant contributions to urban and regional thought, including rigorous methodological studies and seminal theoretical articles. JRS is one of the most highly cited journals in urban and regional research, planning, geography, and the environment, and it aims to enhance our understanding of the geographic dimensions of urban and regional economies, human settlements, and policies related to cities and regions.

《Journal of Regional Science》是一本自1958年以来出版的期刊，专注于经济学与定量地理学交叉领域的原创分析研究。该期刊发表了许多在城市与区域思想方面的重要贡献，包括严谨的方法论研究和开创性的理论文章。《Journal of Regional Science》是城市与区域研究、规划、地理和环境领域中被引用最多的期刊之一，致力于推动我们对城市与区域经济、人类聚落以及与城市和区域相关政策的地理维度的理解。

Category	Quartile
经济学	3
经济学, 经济学	3
经济学, 环境研究	3
经济学, 区域与城市规划	4

Promoting sustainable and high‐quality economic development in China via regional innovation poles

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
REGIONAL & URBAN PLANNING	2