The Impact of Regional Socio-Economic Development on Spatial and Temporal Differences in the Distribution Pattern of Top-Tier Education in China

Abstract

Regional socio-economics has multiple and far-reaching influences on the development of top-tier education, and the development of top-tier education also represents the strength and level of the regional socio-economics to a large extent. The present study investigates the spatial and temporal differences in the distribution pattern of doctoral disciplines of Chinese “double first-class” construction universities between 1996 and 2022 and the influence of regional socio-economics through two perspectives of economic regions and provinces. The study shows that there are differences in the development speed, scale, and level of top-tier education among different economic divisions and provinces, and the overall pattern of “fast in the east and slow in the west”, “more in the east and less in the west”, and “strong in the east and weak in the west” is unbalanced. At the same time, there is a high degree of concentration in different economic regions. The main reasons include the historical problem of the unbalanced allocation of China’s educational resources, as well as the uneven geographical distribution of relevant national policies, and the influence of regional socio-economic development differences, especially GDP and literacy rate. In terms of the influence mechanism, the development mindset of universities themselves, especially the strategy for talent cultivation and introduction, is the fundamental factor for the formation of the top-tier education development gap among different economic regions and provinces.