Measuring Regional Competitiveness in Science and Technology in China: A Combination Weighting Method

This paper makes an attempt to analyze the regional science and technology (S&T) competitiveness of China based on the combination weighting method. Science and technology is a key part of the core competitiveness of a region, which helps promote economic development, enhance economic strength and push sustainable development of the society. In this paper, we design the evaluation index system of regional S&T competitiveness of China, build a mathematical model by combining factor analysis with analytical hierarchy process, conduct empirical research using the data of 31 provinces and cities in China in 2008, and evaluate the S&T competitiveness of every region comprehensively. Our study shows that there are 9 regions whose S&T competitiveness is above average, and all of them are located in the coastal advanced areas in eastern China. We further analyze the reasons of such big differences among regions in order to provide reference for the government.