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Regional Innovation

Reverse Acting Force: The Effects and Mechanisms of Scientific  and Technological Talent Agglomeration in Reshaping Regional  Innovation Ecosystems — From the Perspective of "Structure-Function-Institution" 

Li Mingyang1 , Wu Fan2

(1.School of Public Administration, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu  611731, China; 2.School of Public Policy and Management, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China)

Abstract: Against the background of intensified technological competition and innovationdriven development, scientific and technological talents have become key agents in the evolution  of regional innovation ecosystems. Existing studies often follow a one-way logic in which innova⁃ tion ecosystems attract talents and talents promote innovation outputs, but rarely examine how  talent agglomeration feeds back into and reshapes the ecosystem itself. To fill this gap, this paper  builds a "structure-function-institution" framework and uses panel data from 30 Chinese prov⁃ inces from 2013 to 2023. It constructs a composite index of regional innovation ecosystem by  combining static elements, including innovation subjects, resources, and environment, with dy⁃ namic relational dimensions, including network density, clustering, core resource agglomeration, bridging function, and niche openness. The location quotient of R&D personnel is used to mea⁃ sure talent agglomeration. Two-way fixed effects, mediation effects, instrumental-variable esti⁃ mation, system GMM, and panel threshold models are employed to examine the direct effect, mechanisms, heterogeneity, and nonlinear boundaries. The results show that: ①Talent agglom⁃ eration significantly promotes the reshaping of regional innovation ecosystems. This finding re⁃ mains robust after excluding municipalities and the COVID-19 period, replacing key variable  measurements, controlling for concurrent regional innovation policies, conducting placebo tests, and addressing endogeneity. ②Talent agglomeration works through three channels. Structurally, it strengthens industry-university-research cooperation and turns fragmented interactions into  networked collaboration. Functionally, it improves knowledge diversity, broadens knowledge boundaries, and promotes cross-field knowledge recombination. Institutionally, it guides local  governments to allocate more attention to science, technology, and talent issues, thereby improv⁃ ing policy support and institutional supply. ③The effect is more of a "timely help" than an "ic⁃ ing on the cake" effect. It is stronger in central and western provinces, provinces with lower ini⁃ tial innovation levels, and provinces with lower marketization levels, indicating higher marginal  returns in catching-up regions. ④The threshold analysis reveals a double-threshold feature and  a "platform-peak-platform" pattern. When talent agglomeration is below 1.382, the reshaping effect is not effectively activated; when it lies between 1.382 and 1.500, the positive effect becomes significant; when it exceeds 1.500, congestion, rising costs, and resource mismatch may  weaken the marginal contribution. This study confirms that scientific and technological talents  are not merely innovation inputs, but endogenous forces capable of reshaping regional innovation  ecosystems. It shifts the focus from "ecosystems attracting talents" to "talents reshaping ecosystems" and provides evidence for building a dynamic talent-ecosystem feedback loop. Policy  makers should adopt differentiated strategies: catching-up regions should improve collaboration  networks, knowledge integration, and institutional responsiveness, while leading regions should  reduce congestion, strengthen cross-regional spillovers, and improve the quality of talent allocation. 

Key words: agglomeration of scientific and technological talents; innovation ecosystem; reverse acting force; structure-function-institution; innovation-driven development; industryuniversity-research cooperation; structuration theory; threshold effect