Evolution game model and simulation of enterprise R&D cooperative innovation network under network externalities

ABSTRACT

Multi-agent cooperation, pooling innovative resources, helps to develop key technologies and major projects in enterprises. However, the multi-agent cooperation of enterprises makes the cooperative relationship unstable, and behaviours such as moral hazard, spillover of technology or information are more likely to occur, thereby increasing the risk of enterprises. In this research an enterprise R&D cooperative evolutionary game model is built to investigate the influence of Network externalities on enterprise R&D cooperation in innovation networks. Furthermore, the evolution of innovative network structure of game results is simulated by means of computer technology so that the effects of network externalities on corporation degree, agglomeration and network structure are analyzed. The results show that Network externalities led to a decrease of cooperated partners, a decline in cooperation degree and agglomeration of enterprises, and a shrinking enterprise R&D cooperation tendency. The influence of network externalities shows significant structural differences in the three types of enterprise networks: the degree of enterprise cooperation and agglomeration fluctuates greatly in the scale-free network, but slightly in the small-world network and the random network.

KEYWORDS:

• Network externalities
• R&D cooperation
• enterprise network
• evolutionary game model

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Funded by the Key Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (No. 23ATY001) and (No. 22AZD137). The 14th Five-Year-Plan Advantageous and Characteristic Disciplines (Groups) of Colleges and Universities in Hubei Province, and Sports Policy and Strategy Research Center.

Notes on contributors

He Wang

He Wang is an associate professor of School of Economics and Management at Wuhan Sports University. Her research interest is industrial economics. Wang has chaired 8 high-level research projects and published 8 papers in academic journals. Wang has a PhD in economics from the Wuhan University of Technology and was a visiting scholar at University of Georgia in 2018–2019. E-mail: [email protected].

Ke Fu

Ke Fu is a lecturer of School of Foreign Languages at Dalian Maritime University. Her research interest is English linguistics. Fu revises this article and is the corresponding author. Email: [email protected].

Qian Yu

Qian Yu is a renowned professor of School of Economics at Wuhan University of Technology and PhD supervisor. His research interests include industrial economy, innovative networks and complex systems. Yu has chaired many high-level research projects and published over 50 papers in academic journals. Email: [email protected].