Research on Efficiency of Allocation of Higher Education Resources in China--Empirical Analysis based on DEA-Malmquist Model

Abstract

China will take advantage of the Belt and Road decade’s opportunity to achieve further development with the increasing allocation of resources towards higher education. The study examines the allocation of resources in higher education across 18 provinces along the Belt and Road in China from 2014 to 2024 using the DEA and Mulmquist models to prove the result dynamically and statically. It simultaneously compares the disparities between the land Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road. The study demonstrates that universities located in the provinces along the Belt and Road route have a high level of efficiency in allocating higher education resources. Nevertheless, it is imperative to enhance the efficiency of resource allocation in higher education across all provinces. As an illustration, Guangdong has the highest total factor growth rate, while Tibet has the lowest. Furthermore, there is a rapid increase in this rate from 2022 to 2024. The value reaches its maximum in 2023, experiences a steep decline thereafter, and drops below 1.03 in the same year. From 2014 to 2022, China's total factor productivity remains constant, indicating a stable stage interval. The data exhibits a pattern of oscillating growth followed by decline starting from 2022. Regarding regional disparities, the averages of all the routes of the Maritime Silk Road surpass the Land Silk Road. The persistent issue of imbalanced allocation of resources in higher education is evident, so the study focus on how to maximizing the benefits derived from high education resources allocation.