国内外理论界对产业集群和技术创新的关系存在重要争议。以电子信息产业为例,采用统计年鉴、企业调查问卷和深度访谈的数据,运用定量和定性相结合的方法,探索电子信息产业集群对技术创新的推动作用。研究表明,在中国目前的社会经济背景下,单纯的产业集聚对技术创新的推动作用尚不明显。案例研究显示,地理邻近性和企业之间频繁的联系并没有促进相互信任和技术创新。由于知识盗取的现象严重,很多企业并不愿意与本地其他企业建立基于知识和技术方面的联系。大多数被调查的企业都只涉及并不需要复杂知识的"边缘"创新,缺乏寻求外部合作的动力。因此,需要超越目前的集群理论,把更多的研究重点放在特定区域和制度环境下的"企业"个体上,而非企业之间的联系。

In recognition of the heated theoretical debate over the relationship between industrial cluster and technological innovation,this paper examines the growth,spatial distribution and innovative performance of China's electronics and information industry to understand the cluster-innovation relationship.The data analysis at the provincial level has found that there is no positive relationship between industrial cluster and technological innovation in the electronics and information industry.A survey in the Shenzhen-Dongguan area—one of the most clustering area of the electronics and information industry in China reveals that geographical proximity failed to induce the sense of trust among firms,stimulate knowledge spillover and facilitate the innovative acitivities,despite the existence of intensified local production linkages among co-located firms.Most of surveyed firms have engaged in "periphery innovation" that does not involve complicated technologies and thus they have no desire to seek external cooperation and collaboration based on R&D activities.This paper concluded with a plea that we should place much emphasis on the nature and characteristics of individual firms and clusters under special political,social and institutional contexts rather than on the "relations" among the firms.