Concentrated or dispersed:a comparison of the regional distribution of innovative activities in China and the U.S.

In order to enhance the independent innovation and help build China as an innovation-driven country,this article compares the regional distribution of innovative activities between China(representing a typical developing country) and the United States.We also provide some recommendations for China and other developing countries to optimize the regional distribution of their innovative activities.Using invention patents from the websites of the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office as an indicator,this paper compares the regional distribution of innovation of China and the U.S.by methods such as rank-frequency,concentration and classification.The results show that China's invention patents have experienced rapid growth and significant fluctuation in recent years,while the United States is relatively stable.The dispersion of patent distribution in China is more obvious than the United States,and there is a concentrated trend for innovation activities in both China and the United States from the central areas to the coastal regions.