主题｜The Role of Social Ties in Spreading Innovation: Evidence from Alien Merchant Guilds in China
时间｜Time：5.15（周四）下午15:30-17:00
地点｜Venue：文澴楼教室｜Room 809，WENHUAN
主办单位｜Organizer：文澜学院
承办单位｜Operator：数实融合研究中心；北京大学-中南财经政法大学新结构经济学研究中心
主讲｜Speaker
汪小圈，女，上海对外经贸大学金融管理学院讲师。北京大学光华管理学院金融学博士，美国西北大学访问学者，曾任华东师范大学经济与管理学院助理教授。主要研究领域为创新创业、公司金融和劳动力市场等，主持国家自然科学基金青年项目，在《金融研究》、《China Economic Review》等国内外知名期刊发表多篇学术论文，获北京大学优秀博士毕业论文、上海青年经济学者优秀成果奖一等奖。
摘要｜Abstract
This paper examines how social ties shape the diffusion of innovation across regions. We focus on social connections formed through participation in Chinese alien merchant guilds, which consist of merchants from the same origin province conducting business in a different host province. Using data on patent citations linked to member firms of inter-provincial guilds, we show that guild establishment significantly increases cross-provincial knowledge flows from the host to the origin province. The effect is stronger and more immediate for knowledge outflows than for knowledge inflows, consistent with the information transfer hypothesis that dissemination is less costly than acquisition. We identify personal connections facilitated by the guild network as the primary channel of knowledge flows. Guilds that engage more frequently in face-to-face activities exhibit stronger effects, suggesting that interpersonal interaction facilitates the diffusion of tacit knowledge. These increased knowledge flows lead to substantial innovation gains in the origin province. The results highlight the critical role of external knowledge access through social ties in fostering innovation diffusion and progress.
