Journal of East China Normal University(Educational Sciences) ›› 2023, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (5): 26-40.doi: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2023.05.003

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Higher Education and High-quality Economic Development: Mechanism, Path and Contribution

Haigang Huang1, Siqi Wu2, Yue Qu3   

  1. 1. Academy of China Open Economy Studies, University of International and Business Economics, Beijing 100029, China
    2. School of International Trade and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing 100029, China
    3. School of Economics and Management, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China
  • Online:2023-05-01 Published:2023-04-26

Abstract:

To build a modern socialist country in all respects, we must, first and foremost, pursue high-quality development. Improving the role and efficiency of higher education in high-quality economic development is not only an important task to implement the spirit of the Twentieth National Congress of the Communist Party of China in the field of education, but also a proper meaning to accelerate the construction of high-quality education system. Based on panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2000 to 2019, this paper analyzes the contribution of higher education to high-quality economic development and its realization mechanism based on the transmission chain of “higher education-human capital, technology, industry-high-quality economic development” by building the direct effect, indirect effect and complementary effect models of higher education. The research shows that higher education has a positive contribution to high-quality economic development, and this economic effect shows significant regional heterogeneity. The contribution of higher education to economic quality is in the order of western region, central region and eastern region from large to small. Factors such as diminishing marginal return of human capital investment, industrial transfer and education policy support jointly promote the strong role of higher education in improving quality and efficiency in the economic development of central and western regions. Further mechanism inspection found that higher education could promote high-quality economic development through multi-dimensional paths such as human capital accumulation, promoting technological innovation and giving play to the complementary effect with industrial structure.

Key words: higher education, high quality development, innovation driven, economic growth