Study on the sensitivity of R&D funds investment fluctuations in the eastern part of China

The purpose of this paper is to explore the sensitivity of R&D funds investment fluctuations in the eastern 11 provinces and cities part of China. The data we used is that the eastern provinces and cities´ R&D funds investment growth and the national R&D expenditures growth during the period of 2001-2011. By the method of β-coefficient this study shows that: firstly, compared to the national R&D funds investment fluctuations, the volatility of R&D funds investment fluctuations are relatively larger whether in the eastern part of China, or in the central and western areas. Secondly, from the eastern part of 11 provinces and cities, the highest sensitivity of R&D funds investment fluctuations are in Hainan Province and Hebei Province, while the lowest sensitive degree of R&D funds investment fluctuations is in Guangdong Province; And also, there are the less volatile of R&D funds investment in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions; For surprisingly, the R&D funds investment volatility in Fujian Province and Liaoning Province are more stable.