Data related to paper entitled "Examining The Role of Dialect Diversity in Collaborative Innovation"

Collaboration is extensively studied as a crucial driver of technological innovation efficiency and quality. However, the impact of dialect diversity on collaborative innovation remains insufficiently explored. Using intra-city collaborative invention patents from China (2001-2021), this study examines the effect of dialect diversity on local collaborative innovation.It finds that dialect diversity significantly inhibits local collaborative innovation in both extensive margin and intensive margin. This result is supported by IV regression, using the historical emergence of merchant guilds and the diffusion of foreign religions as instrumental variables.We further establish that the negative effect of dialect diversity stems from cultural differences rather than Communication barriers. These cultural differences erode general social trust and hinder high-skilled human capital agglomeration, thereby impeding local collaborative innovation. Finally, we demonstrate that institutional developmentand human capital investment can partially mitigate the negative effects of cultural fragmentation, facilitating collaborative innovation.