Ecosystem construction, governance and regional high quality development

Abstract

This year has been marked by the many tensions that have arisen worldwide. Whereas many of us were expecting growth and trade to pick up rapidly in a post-COVID environment, geological stresses have taken a new turn, with the Russian Federation-Ukraine conflict and inflationary pressures making a global comeback. The risk of a splintered world economy has grown. In particular, poorer economies risk hunger on a massive scale while increasing inequalities and poverty threaten to put the world back several decades. In such an uncertain context, innovation has a critical role to play. More than ever, innovation must be the target of solid and counter-cyclical policies. Productivity gains continue to justify spending on innovation. But at a time when financial resources are stretched - and competition for these resources stronger - it is even more critical now to make explicit the links between innovation and productivity. Throughout the history of innovation and development worldwide, the importance of Silicon Valley and Boston's Route 128 is self-evident. The development conditions of the two industrial areas are the same, but the results are very different. Compared with the rise of Silicon Valley, Boston's Route 128 has declined. The fundamental reason is that Silicon Valley has formed a diverse, open, and active innovative ecosystem, while Boston's Route 128 is relatively single, closed, and passive. Since innovation requires more complex technologies, more frequent updating of knowledge, and interdisciplinary information, it is necessary to break down the communication barriers between enterprises and governments. Enterprises and talents form an external environment that can promote innovation. Therefore, whether a region can sustainably stimulate economic development through creation, in addition to the core factor of creativity, it also needs to build a Coordinated, Shared, and Open environment. These keywords coincide with the "High-quality Development Strategy" proposed by China in 2017. A region has innovation capabilities, which can only guarantee rapid economic growth at a specific time. But from the perspective of sustainable development, apart from innovation ability, the reason for ensuring the stable development of a region is whether the local industry can develop in a modular form, whether the urban space planning can achieve a quality-oriented balanced layout, and whether talents can be embedded in the local area. As China's economic development enters a new stage, high-quality development has become an inevitable requirement. A city is a container for innovation, and the construction and governance of its ecosystem are of great significance for achieving high-quality development. In more than 40 years, Shenzhen has rapidly grown from a small fishing village to one of the world's critical, innovative cities, creating a miracle in the history of world urban development. The Chinese government has also entrusted Shenzhen with the vital mission of leading high-quality development. Shenzhen's experience in ecosystem construction and governance will also inspire development in China and the world's late-developing cities. Due to historical reasons, Shenzhen has formed a unique dual structure, which gives us a window for observation. The evolution of its internal ecosystem has enlightened us on how to build and manage the ecosystem between cities in the context of constructing the Greater Bay Area. This thesis starts by analyzing Shenzhen's innovation's origin and growth process. It explores the innovation characteristics of each district in Shenzhen from the three subdivided elements of industry, space, and talent. This thesis concluded that if a region wants to form an innovation ecosystem, it must create a space suitable for industrial development and talent growth. Only the entry of enterprises and talents can promote the growth of local innovation. Creating an innovation ecosystem requires the efforts of enterprises, governments, and other market entities.