Pharmaceutical Manufacturing in China Innovation Performance: A Dynamic QCA Analysis Based on the WSR Perspective

This study aims to investigate the theoretical foundations and driving mechanisms of innovation performance in the Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, offering theoretical and practical insights for enhancing the industry's innovation capacity and global competitiveness.

Drawing upon the "Wuli-Shili-Renli" (WSR) systems methodology and a configurational perspective, this study employs dynamic Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to analyze Chinese provincial panel data spanning 2015-2021. The study explores the configurational effects of influencing factors across three dimensions-digital economy, environmental regulation, and social capital-on the innovation performance of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry across 30 Chinese provinces and municipalities.

(1) The consistency scores for all antecedent conditions were below 0.9, indicating that no single factor constitutes a necessary condition for high innovation performance in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. (2) Three effective configurational paths driving high innovation performance were identified: the "dual-driven", "multiple-dominant", and "balanced coordination" paths. The overall solution consistency was 0.938, with an overall solution coverage of 0.511. (3) Temporally, configuration consistency exhibited a marked decline in 2017 and 2019, dropping below 0.9. (4) Spatially, the "balanced coordination" path achieved the highest provincial coverage, accounting for approximately 60%. Meanwhile, the "multiple-dominant" path revealed significant regional disparities, underscoring the need for most provinces to promote collaborative innovation within the industry.

The integration of the "Wuli-Shili-Renli" (WSR) systems methodology with dynamic fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) transcends the limitations of single-paradigm research. This study offers two primary contributions. First, it provides a robust theoretical framework for analyzing high innovation performance in the Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, thereby enriching the international innovation management literature. Second, it serves as a cross-cultural exemplar, synthesizing Eastern systems thinking with Western empirical methods to advance the global discourse on pharmaceutical innovation. Furthermore, the findings offer actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders to foster high-quality development and enhance the global competitiveness of the pharmaceutical industry.