Panel Data on Urban Agglomeration and Cities' Network Positions in China, 2011-2021

This dataset compiles panel data on patent co-applications among 300 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2021. For each year, a relational matrix is constructed in which cities serve as nodes and co-application ties form the edges of the innovation collaboration network. Based on these matrices, ego-network degree centrality is calculated using UCINET to measure cities’ relative positions within the innovation network. The dataset also includes a policy variable indicating the implementation of national-level urban agglomeration plans, an instrumental variable capturing whether a city was connected to the railway network in 1933, and a set of socioeconomic control variables. Data sources include the patent database of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), national urban agglomeration planning documents issued by China’s State Council, the China Railway Directory (1933), History of Transportation in China, and the China City Statistical Yearbook. The dataset supports research on urban innovation networks, spatial policy evaluation, and urban agglomeration development.