Application of threshold regression analysis to study the impact of regional technological innovation level on sustainable development

This paper applies a panel threshold regression model to explore the impact of the regional technological innovation level on regional sustainable development using the regional economic development level as the threshold variable and panel data from 31 Chinese provinces from 2009 to 2015. The empirical research results show a significant double threshold effect of the regional technological innovation level on regional sustainable development. Positive interrelationships are observed between the regional technological innovation level and regional sustainable development when the regional economic development level does not exceed 0.301. The regional technological innovation level plays a significant role in promoting regional sustainable development when the former is between 0.301 and 0.438, but regional innovation otherwise has a minimal promotional effect. This research enriches the scholarship on regional innovation and lays a theoretical foundation that governments can use in policy development.