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<p>Why are the entrepreneurial seeds thriving in some regions but difficult to root in others? Taking a natural experiment from China’s National Intellectual Property Demonstration City (NIPDC) policy implemented in 2012, we try to understand its cause from an institutional perspective. Using panel data from 278 prefecture-level cities in 2003 − 2020, we employ a generalized DID model to investigate the causal impact of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection on regional entrepreneurial activities. Our findings reveal a notable positive influence of the NIPDC policy on entrepreneurial activities. This significant disparity is primarily attributed to the policy’s role in fostering local technological innovation, attracting foreign investment, and drawing in talent. Both the hard and soft environments of the regional economy amplify this effect. The positive impact of the NIPDC policy on entrepreneurship is more pronounced in areas with robust economic foundations and a conducive business environment. Interestingly, local business culture elements like Confucianism, clan networks, cultivation, and dialect, as informal institutions, do not diminish the impact of the policy. This underscores the effectiveness of formal IPR protection in promoting entrepreneurship.</p>

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How institutional soil nourishes entrepreneurial seeds: natural experimental evidence from China’s IPR protection

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月28日

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  • Ziyu Liu,
  • Binhui Wei,
  • Jinhai Xu

摘要

Why are the entrepreneurial seeds thriving in some regions but difficult to root in others? Taking a natural experiment from China’s National Intellectual Property Demonstration City (NIPDC) policy implemented in 2012, we try to understand its cause from an institutional perspective. Using panel data from 278 prefecture-level cities in 2003 − 2020, we employ a generalized DID model to investigate the causal impact of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection on regional entrepreneurial activities. Our findings reveal a notable positive influence of the NIPDC policy on entrepreneurial activities. This significant disparity is primarily attributed to the policy’s role in fostering local technological innovation, attracting foreign investment, and drawing in talent. Both the hard and soft environments of the regional economy amplify this effect. The positive impact of the NIPDC policy on entrepreneurship is more pronounced in areas with robust economic foundations and a conducive business environment. Interestingly, local business culture elements like Confucianism, clan networks, cultivation, and dialect, as informal institutions, do not diminish the impact of the policy. This underscores the effectiveness of formal IPR protection in promoting entrepreneurship.