Data Sharing, Knowledge Capability, and Urban Innovation Synergy

【Authors】

YANG Mengyu, WANG Zhihui & ZHANG Fengyun

【WorkUnit】

YANG Mengyu, WANG Zhihui （Yunnan University, 650500）；ZHANG Fengyun （Anhui Science and Technology University, 233100）

【Abstract】

As a core carrier of information, data plays a critical role in driving innovation. China has been promoting data-sharing reforms to break down information barriers and enhance government-market collaboration, thereby fostering innovation synergy. However, improving data-sharing mechanisms remains a key focus. While innovation synergy boosts urban competitiveness, challenges such as uneven spatial distribution, structural imbalances, and knowledge gaps hinder progress. While open government data can reduce information asymmetry and foster cross-regional knowledge flows, cities’ heterogeneous capabilities may lead to divergent responses, necessitating deeper analysis of data sharing’s impact on urban innovation synergy and the mechanisms through which knowledge is transmitted.
From a knowledge capability perspective, this study constructs an urban knowledge capability framework and proposes corresponding hypotheses. Using the launch of government data openness platforms as a quasi-natural experiment for data sharing, we empirically tested these hypotheses with integrated 2002-2023 prefecture-level city macro-micro data. Results demonstrate that data sharing significantly enhances urban innovation synergy—a finding robust to endogeneity controls and robustness checks. Mechanism analysis reveals that data sharing promotes innovation synergy through intra-city knowledge accumulation and inter-city knowledge allocation. Data application capability and potential knowledge capacity emerge as critical moderators, while urban knowledge complexity, informal spatial interaction, intellectual property protection, external spatial structure, and government science-education expenditure significantly moderate this synergy effect.
This study provides theoretical support and policy suggestions for deepening government reforms in data openness. Governments should further improve the quality of open data, strengthen data application capabilities, and explore and cultivate cities’ potential knowledge capacity. Simultaneously, attention should be paid to spatial interaction and collaborative innovation between cities, optimizing the allocation of innovation resources, and building institutional and market environments conducive to innovation synergy. Through these measures, the capacity for urban collaborative innovation can be continuously enhanced, promoting high-quality economic development in China.

JEL: R11, R58, O18

【KeyWords】

Data Sharing, Innovation Synergy, Knowledge Ability, Data Accessibility