Does high-speed rail network access enhance cities' innovation performance?

Abstract

This study investigates the impacts of access to high-speed railway networks (HSRN) on urban innovative performance using a difference-in-difference method and a unique dataset including patents, nighttime lights, and HSRN at the city-level in China. First, access to HSRN significantly and positively affects the city's innovative performance. Results remain robust after substituting different innovation indicators and controlling for city-level factors. Second, the impacts vary with the size of cities. Specifically, the benefits of access to HSRN for large and small cities are greater than for medium-sized cities, which shows a quasi-U-shaped relationship. Third, the positive effects of access to HSRN on innovation performance are stronger in knowledge-intensive industries for large cities and where there is high population mobility among cities.