Abstract: Income distribution makes different effects to independent innovation from intermediate variables of demand quantity and structure. After the theoretical analysis on consumer’s change in demand around income distribution, and the empirical test on this mechanism with nationwide and cross-province data, some conclusions are drawn: firstly, inverse “U” shape exists in the relation between income inequality and independent innovation, therefore, moderate income gap is good for innovation, while its further amplify bad for innovation; secondly, income inequality increases parts of incident’s income, which induces amplify of demand of innovation products and motivates corporate innovation power; thirdly, income inequality inhibits upgrade of incident’s consume structure, which makes lower income group hard to form effective demand and lowers independent innovation; fourthly, increasing income of low-income group and expanding scale of middle-income group in the distribution reform can more effectively cultivate market demand of innovation products, and thus make for innovation.

摘要： 收入分配通过需求规模和需求结构对自主创新产生了不同的经济效应。在对收入分配前后消费者需求变化进行理论分析，及运用全国数据和省际面板数据进行实证检验后发现：第一，收入不平等与自主创新之间存在着“倒U型”曲线关系，适度的收入差距有利于创新水平的提高，但差距的进一步扩大则将抑制创新能力的提升；第二，收入不平等提高了部分居民的收入水平，而后者所引致的创新产品需求规模的扩大激发了企业的创新动力；第三，收入不平等抑制了居民消费结构的优化和升级，使得低收入阶层对创新产品难以形成有效需求，市场规模的缩小则降低了自主创新水平；第四，收入分配改革中的“提低”和“扩中”策略能够有效地培育创新产品的市场规模，因而更有利于自主创新水平的提高。