Regional government R&D investment and innovation performance : the moderating effect of geographical and organizational proximities

Purpose: This study aims to measure the moderating effect of geographical and organizational proximity by focusing on readily available Chinese regional economic data over a five-year period. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used multilevel regression analysis to analyze the relationship. Findings: Results show that increasing government investment in research and development (R&D) can improve innovation performance during this period, organizational proximity and geographic proximity have a positive moderate effect on the relationship between R&D investment and Innovation performance. Originality/value: This study enriches the existing theories on government innovation input and output from the perspective of regional differences and provides meaningful guidance for current Chinese regional innovation policies.