The impact of “Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation” policy on SMEs’ innovation: Using quasi-natural experiments

This study presents an in-depth investigation of the impact of “Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (MEI) policy on small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs’) innovation using the propensity score matching–difference-in-difference method. The MEI policy's R&D subsidies are found to generate a positive effect on SMEs’ innovation. Although R&D subsidies have no significant impact on SMEs’ strategic innovation, they can promote substantial innovation and establish a solid microfoundation for China's high-quality development. Compared with R&D subsidies, tax incentives in the MEI policy cannot encourage SMEs to innovate and may even have a negative impact on SMEs’ innovation.