Bureaucratic Culture and Innovation

Abstract This study explores the effects of bureaucratic culture on innovation. We define bureaucratic culture as a culture in which power and officials are held in the highest regard. Using panel data of publicly listed Chinese manufacturing firms from 2007 to 2015, we found that bureaucratic culture negatively correlated with firms' patent output. A mechanism analysis shows that bureaucratic culture hindered corporate innovation by reducing firms' research and development inputs and decreasing innovation efficiency. Furthermore, we provided evidence that anti‐corruption campaigns and the development of formal institutions could neutralize the negative impact of bureaucratic culture on corporate innovation. This study is the first to investigate quantitatively the causal effect of bureaucratic culture on corporate innovation and it can deepen the understanding of the relationship between culture and innovation in China. We speculate that promoting a creative culture, particularly one that fosters entrepreneurial spirit, is of utmost importance.