How does Confucian culture affect technological innovation? Evidence from family enterprises in China

Abstract

Culture is one of the crucial elements of technological innovation. The existing studies hold that Confucian culture is conducive to the technological innovation of Chinese Listed Companies. However, Chinese family enterprises with relatively profound Confucianism encounter the bottleneck of weak innovation. This makes people wonder whether Confucian culture is conducive to the technological innovation of family enterprises. To solve this mystery, we investigated the effects of Chinese Confucianism on technological innovation in Chinese family enterprises. We found that family entrepreneur’s entrepreneurship had worse innovation performance under the influence of Confucian culture. The results are robust to different measures of innovation and are still valid when controlling for the potential endogeneity between Confucian culture and technological innovation. This study provides a more fine-grained perspectives about Chinese innovation culture.

Religion, Confucian/Christian Culture, and Educational Ideals in Taiwan

“…After the defeat of the Kuomintang in Taiwan, the book "Education Act" was published in 1953, containing 254 kinds of education laws and regulations. Since then, in order to meet the needs of economic, social, and educational development, Taiwan has never stopped formulating, revising, and repealing educational laws and regulations [9]. After the enactment of laws and regulations, there are comprehensive rules and regulations to ensure that they are revised and improved in accordance with economic and social changes.…”

Informal institutions and corporate innovation: A Perspective from Red Culture

“…Additionally, culture is regarded as manageable beliefs, values, and norms directly associated with organizational performance [ 4 ]. Presently, cultural studies are burgeoning, with scholars gradually exploring various cultural endowments accumulated throughout extensive historical development, including religious culture [ 5 ], language culture [ 6 ], and Confucian culture [ 7 ]. These elements provide crucial soil for the growth and function of formal institutions while collectively propelling the continuous evolution and prosperity of society [ 3 , 7 ].…”

“…For instance, Li et al [ 15 ] examined the influence of clan culture on corporate innovation, emphasizing its compensatory role in the absence of sound formal institutions, providing managerial incentives, and alleviating financial constraints. Additionally, Confucian culture enhances corporate innovation by addressing agency conflicts, increasing investment in human capital, and mitigating patent infringement risks [ 5 ]. Regrettably, there is limited literature on the impact of Red Culture, despite its historical significance in shaping the trajectory of socialist revolution and construction.…”