ABSTRACT Innovation intermediaries are instrumental in enhancing the efficacy of the innovation process, yet their accessibility tends to be geographically restricted, particularly in underdeveloped regions. This study examines whether the development of transportation infrastructure can alleviate these spatial frictions, promoting cross‐regional utilization of intermediary services and subsequently improving innovation outcomes. Leveraging a unique database on patent agency utilization for all invention patents in China from 2003 to 2019, and employing high‐speed rail (HSR) as a natural experiment, we estimate a staggered difference‐in‐difference model at the city‐pair level. Our findings suggest that reductions in transportation costs lead to a substantial increase in cross‐city PAU after HSR connection, especially in sectors with higher technology sophistication requiring more face‐to‐face interactions between inventors and agents. This research uncovers a novel mechanism through which HSR influences innovation and provides policy implications for optimizing innovation intermediaries through infrastructure development.

Xiaokang Wu

Jinping Yu

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

Bridging Innovation Distances: High‐Speed Rail and Patent Agency Utilization in China

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
REGIONAL & URBAN PLANNING	2