Analyzing the Shift in China’s Cultural Industries: From Economic Growth to Social Enrichment

Abstract

Cultural industries constitute a crucial part of the sustainable economy. In accordance with the principles of socialist public ownership nations, the economic benefits of cultural industries should be ultimately transformed into more significant social benefits. Guided by the policies and requirements of the Chinese government concerning the social benefits of cultural industries, this paper innovatively integrates Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Tobit models to empirically analyze the social benefits and their influencing factors within China’s cultural industries. The findings indicate that the social benefits of China’s cultural industries are currently in a state of diminishing returns to scale, with fiscal support and educational levels significantly enhancing the industry’s social benefits. This paper recommends that policymakers aiming to convert the economic benefits of cultural industries into social benefits more systematically and effectively should focus on enhancing the quality of industry outputs.