贸易自由化的度量及其对企业创新的影响

中国坚定不移扩大对外开放,有力地促进了全球贸易自由化。为分析贸易自由化对企业创新的影响,系统梳理近年来有关贸易自由化的重要文献,从贸易自由化的度量、贸易自由化影响企业创新的理论机制和实证结果、中国加入WTO这3个角度进行分析。研究认为,进口贸易自由化总体上对企业创新有促进作用,但对不同国家、不同企业的影响具有异质性:发展中国家主要通过获取国外价格更低、技术更先进的进口中间品获益,从而节约生产成本、提升创新能力,而部分发达国家由于受到国外低价最终品的激烈竞争,企业利润降低,导致创新活动减少,但技术先进的企业在竞争中几乎不受影响; 出口贸易自由化对发展中国家和发达国家企业的创新都有正向影响:出口能带来规模经济,增加创新收益,而发展中国家的企业通过参与国际供应链、向来自发达国家的客户学习先进经验,提高自身创新水平; 中国加入WTO后,平均关税水平大幅下降,贸易自由化程度不断提高,显著提高了国内企业的研发投入和生产率水平。

Measurement of trade liberalization and its impact on enterprise innovation

China's firm efforts in expanding its opening-up has greatly promoted global trade liberalization. To analyze the impact of trade liberalization on enterprise innovation, this paper reviews important literature in recent years on trade liberalization and conducts analysis from three dimensions: the measurement of trade liberalization, the theoretical mechanism and empirical results of the impact of trade liberalization on enterprise innovation, and China's entry into the WTO. The results show that import trade liberalization increases enterprise innovation in general, but the impacts on different countries/different enterprises are heterogeneous, Specifically, developing countries mainly profit from importing foreign intermediate products with lower prices and more advanced technology, thus saving production costs and increasing innovative abilities, while enterprises in some developed countries are subject to fierce competition from foreign end products with low prices, resulting in less profits and fewer innovation activities, but technologically advanced enterprises are hardly affected by the competition. Export trade liberalization has a positive impact on the innovation of enterprises in both developing and developed countries. On the one hand, export can lead to economy of scale and increase the returns of innovation. On the other hand, enterprises in developing countries learn advanced technologies from their clients in developed countries by participating in international supply chains, thus improving their own innovative abilities. After China's accession to the WTO, the average tariff level has been reduced drastically, resulting in an increasing level of trade liberalization, which has significantly enhanced the R&D input and productivity levels of domestic enterprises.