Does the Flow of R&D Elements Promote the Spatial Convergence of Regional Innovation QualityFrom the Perspective of Urban Comfort

R&D elements are the important support for innovation and high-quality economic development in China, while, at present, city amenity plays an important role in affecting the location of R&D elements. Based on an in-depth investigation of the internal mechanism of how the differences of city amenity lead to the flow of R&D factors and thus affect the spatial convergence of regional innovation quality, the paper tested the relationship among those three factors empirically through the panel data of Chinese mainland’s 243 cities from 2006 to 2018 and dynamic spatial β-convergence analysis technology. The results show that in terms of regional innovation quality, there is a significant spatial correlation among regions in China. Under this effect, city amenity of the eastern region, central region and the whole country can promote the spatial convergence of regional innovation quality by influencing the flow of R&D personnel, while the effect of city amenity on the spatial convergence of regional innovation quality by influencing the flow of R&D capital is only significant in the eastern region.