Call for papers      
      The Challenges of Managing and Modelling Innovation           and Growth in China          4-5 November 2017          
     
          Selected conference papers will be published in a special issue of Economic Modelling and Journal of Chinese Economics and Business Studies          
         No. 59, Zhongguancun Ave., Haidian District, Beijing, China          Renmin University of China, Beijing          
         Co-organized by Queen Mary University of London          &          Renmin University of China          
         
             It has long been argued that China’s unprecedented economic growth has been driven by a high level of state investment in science and technology. However, China is now facing the problem of slower growth that other emerging low-income countries have encountered in the past. China’s national development policies together with recent research have highlighted innovation as the key engine for the country to achieve sustainable economic growth. Innovation enables countries to move up the economic value chain to escape the ‘middle income trap’, where they are unable to compete successfully in either low cost or high valued added markets.           
         
             Considerable research efforts have been devoted to understanding and analyzing the impact of innovation on firm performance and regional economic and industrial growth in countries such as China.  At the regional and industrial levels, a large strand of literature has examined internal growth factors such as R&D spending, human capital and exports. External growth factors considered include national industrial structure, national and regional innovation systems, industrial clusters, high tech zones, the “triple helix” model of university-industry-government relationships, and foreign direct investment. At the firm level, previous literature has also explored the impact of innovation on firm performance evidenced by sales growth, productivity and profitability. Despite significant previous research efforts, the results of many empirical studies are still inconclusive. There is a growing interest not only from academia but also from policymaking communities in trying to understand how internal and external innovation growth factors interact with each other, forming a mechanism or a system that can foster innovation. This conference aims to offer timely theoretical, empirical and methodological contributions on innovation and growth, drawing from regional, industrial and firm level evidence in China.  Submitted articles will take into account the specificities of the Chinese context. It will provide much needed knowledge and facilitate the development of research agendas and policy analysis.          
         
             The goal of this conference is thus to encourage research that can contribute to the literature on innovation and growth in China and particularly with a view on how innovation can be modelled at regional, industrial and firm levels.  For this conference we welcome theoretical, empirical and methodological contributions that can broadly enhance our understanding of innovation and growth, drawing from the Chinese context. It is essential that papers consider what is unique and ‘Chinese’ about innovation. We also welcome papers in the broader area of innovation in the Chinese context or that facilitate the development of agendas for further research and policy analysis in China. Such topics may include, but are not limited to:           
         
             ? National and regional innovation systems, industrial policies and their impact on firm innovation performance                ? The middle-income trap and challenge of innovation               ? Spatial analysis of innovation, growth and distribution               ? Industrial agglomeration, clusters, science parks, and firms’ location decision for innovation               ? Economic conditions and the business environment for innovation, their relation to firm-level innovation performance               ? Innovation and spin-offs from universities and public institutions               ? State and private ownership and governance structures that affect innovation                ? Creation of firm and organisational innovation               ? Innovation in business creation, process and incubators               ? Service innovation and business innovation models              ? Foreign direct investment, multinational enterprises and technology spill-overs               ? Outward FDI and internationalisation of innovation strategies               ? Open innovation and technology networks               ? Entrepreneurship, social innovation and start-ups           
         
             Selected papers presented at the conference will be invited for submission to Economic Modelling. These papers will have the review process expedited in collaboration with the conference organisers, but the process will follow the journal review guidelines. http://www.journals.elsevier.com/economic-modelling/          
         
         Paper submission link https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=innochina17          
         
         Timeline           
         Conference paper submission deadline:  20 Oct 2017          Conference date: 4-5 Nov 2017          
         Special issue for Economic Modelling            Paper Acceptance Date: April 2018          Paper delivery Date: August 2018          
         
         
         
         Conference organizers           
         
         Co-Chairs: Lutao Ning, Reader in International Business, Queen Mary, University of London, UK          Co-Chairs: Jie Zhang, Professor of Economics, School of Economics, Renmin University of China, China          Xiaolan Fu, Professor of Technology Management and Development, Oxford University          Sushanta Mallick, Professor of International Economics & Finance, Queen Mary, University of London, UK          Dylan Sutherland, Associate Professor in Management, Durham University, UK          Antony Howell, Assistant Professor, School of Economics, Peking University, China          Wenping Zheng, Assistant Professor, School of International Trade and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, China      
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