Author(s)

Zhengyou Peng

College of Economics, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.

This paper uses the panel data of 21 cities in Guangdong Province from 2005 to 2015 to construct a panel data model, and empirically analyzes the impact of local R&D investment on economic growth from two dimensions: spatial differentiation and time series. The results show that the total social R&D investment in Guangdong Province has a significant positive impact on economic growth; the impact of R&D investment on economic growth in the more developed regions (Pearl River Delta) and the less developed regions (other cities in Guangdong) is different. The former is twice as large as the latter, and there are obvious inter-regional differences. From the perspective of time, the gap is increasing, that is, there is a “Matthew effect”. It is better for latter to invest more in infrastructure construction, resource environmental protection, special industry cultivation and human resource development than continuing to increase R&D investment.

R&D, Economic Growth, Regional Differences, Matthew Effect

Peng, Z. (2019) R&D Investment and Matthew Effect in Economic Growth—An Empirical Study Based on Guangdong Province. Modern Economy, 10, 973-985. doi: 10.4236/me.2019.103065.