LAUSR

Abstract It has become a key issue and policy focus for the Chinese government to support the regionally-coordinated and high-quality development of coal resource-exhausted enterprises (CRE) in Eastern China, and the industrial upgrading required in the coal resource-rich regions (CRR) in Midwestern China. In this study, in accordance with economic statistics and the endogenous economic growth theory, we analyzed the mechanism of the horizontal spillage and vertical spillage in the CRE that are experiencing the effect of science and technology project funding sponsored by the government. We combined the theoretical analysis with empirical tests. Relevant data on the coal enterprises transferred from Eastern China to Shaanxi Province during 1997–2016 were selected for the empirical tests. Our results were as follows. (1) There were both horizontal and vertical spillage effects from the inter-regional transfer behavior (ITB) of the CRE in Eastern China. (2) The science and technology project fund sponsored by the government in the CRR of Midwestern China had a significant role in promoting the total factor productivity (TFP) of the enterprises inside and outside the local coal industry. (3) The strength of the horizontal spillage effect of the ITB of the Eastern China CRE was obviously stronger than that of the vertical spillage effect. (4) The effects of the fixed asset investments and labor inputs in the CRR of Midwestern China on the TFP of the enterprises were minimal. Our results provided the theoretical bases for the making of policies related to regulating the ITB of CRE. These data may be used to promote innovative, coordinated, and high-quality development in the region.