An Empirical Study on the Synergistic Development of Higher Education Scale and Economic Growth in China

Abstract

Examining the equalization of higher education and how it affects the economic growth of each region in China is crucial from both a theoretical and practical standpoint as it pertains to public services since higher education has a significant impact on a nation’s or region’s competitiveness. In this context, this research uses data from 1997 to 2020 to examine the economic impact of higher education on each province using the education composite index. On the other hand, the generalized least squares method was used to analyze the effects of GDP per capita, high school graduation rates, and educational policies on economic development from 1988-2018. The empirical findings indicate that higher education throughout the sample period contributed 15.73% to economic growth and 0.18% to the general level of education. Additionally, there is a strong association between the number of recent high school graduates, GDP per capita, and national policy and enrollment size.