On Local Universities Serving Regional Economics

Local universities, as part of higher-educational institutions while basing their development more on the local, should be under an obligation to serve the regional economics, which is not only the responsibilities they must shoulder in new age but a win-win choice both to the development of regional economics and local universities in the period of local universities transition. How to actively participate in the economic construction of the local so as to provide the local economy a powerful and all-around support of human resources, science and technology, culture and think tank? And what's more how to hunt its own development to a highly connected, beneficially interacted and mutually inter-grown state with the regional economy construction? All the above are first the social responsibility and historic mission of local colleges and universities, and further the effective way to perfect school's own social functions, embody their social values and advance their own development.According to the plans made at the 18th CPC National Congress and the Third Plenary Session of 18th Central Committee of the CPC, the higher education is preparing to accelerate the pace of career-oriented modern vocational education system reform, thus leading a group of average undergraduate colleges to transform to application-and-technology-based institutions. Local universities' transformation meets the requirements of changing the economic development mode and that of industrial restructuring and upgrading. As a significant step to speed up the comprehensive educational reform and build a modern education system, it also complies with the need to resolve the structural contradictions of the employment of new workforce. At the same time, it's in accordance with the important mission of Jiangxi local universities, i.e. taking the initiative to serve the regional economic and social development by adjusting the educational orientation and specialty structure.With the overall thinking of Scientific Outlook on Development, with the context of reality, from the perspective of local universities modeled on Jiangxi's colleges and universities serving their regional economics, this thesis investigates the present status of local economic construction and the situation and prospect of Jiangxi higher education, thus delves into the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities and challenges of the universities in serving regional economic construction. Meanwhile, combined with the theories of Endogenous Economic Growth and Integration of Education and Economy, this dissertation consults and follows the realistic appeal of average undergraduate colleges to transform into application-and-technology-based institutions, and examines the inter-relations among local universities, government and enterprises by the method of practical investigation and empirical survey.Furthermore, this paper relates local universities' missions of the times, ideals in setting up and orientations in development, thus to discover the systematic relevance of local universities'basic functions and the symbiosis of local universities with the regional economy, i.e. on the one hand, the local universities can promote the everlasting increase of regional economy by talents cultivation and technology progress, while on the other hand, the former can through expending expenditure on education advance the short-termed development of the latter. Based on the above, the thesis further analyzes and summarizes the experience and enlightenment drawn from various local institutions of higher education home and abroad in serving their area economy, and reflects over the relationship between Jiangxi local universities and regional economy. By empirical studies on the contribution of Jiangxi talent capital produced by the local universities to the provincial economic growth, and interpretation of Jiangxi system in evaluating the scientific and technological achievements of those local universities, this thesis, triggered by recent implement of "One Belt, One Road", constructively puts forward some strategic suggestions with realistic value, that is, a mutually beneficial and win-win system should be created among universities, government and enterprises, and the serving ability should be enhanced, the ways and measures for local universities to better serve regional economy should be explored.Based on the above thoughts and previous research achievements, the dissertation is divided into nine chapters to systematically expound how Jiangxi local universities serve their regional economic construction:Chapter One gives a brief introduction to the research reason, target and methods, significance and principles, technical framework, the major questions to be addressed, and its innovation and shortcoming. At the same time, the study combs the comprehensive literature in the field of local universities serving regional economics home and abroad, which sets the basis to the following discussion.Chapter Two is a comment on the related theories. First, it defines several key concepts in describing local universities and Jiangxi local universities, analyzing the positions, functions, characteristics and developing courses of local universities. Secondly, it depicts the train of thought for local universities serving regional economics, and discusses several important theories from their emerging background, main opinions, and influence factors to the instructive significances, which involves Endogenous Growth Theory, Education-Economy Integration Theory and Educational Service Attribute and Imbedibility Theory, laying a solid theoretical foundation for the research.Chapter Three is an analysis of service demands. The high-quality service demands of regional economics towards local universities are strong. To promote the successful transformation of these local universities and the rapid development of regional economic communities, and realize the effective inter-connection of both, are not just following the inner demands of the new situation, but embodying the mutual promotion and restraint between local universities and local economy as well. In New Normal, both the state strategic implementation of OBOR and the regional cultural developing strategy require the participation and support of local universities, especially the construction of new type think tanks, the cultivation of application-oriented talents, scientific-technological research and development and the inheritance and innovation of regional culture.Chapter Four is a study of service reality. It investigates the present situation and prospect of local universities educational causes, sums up the achievements and experience accumulated by Jiangxi local universities within 30 years. It objectively analyzes the personnel and geographical advantages, compared with the Key or famous universities outside Jiangxi, in cooperatively serving regional economy, whereas points out certain weakness in service consciousness, relative lack in service competence and the imperfect service systems. Thus the development of local universities are faced not only a major opportunity with the continuous development of social economy, the rising attention and greater support from the government and upholding strategy of prospering Jiangxi through scientific and educational advances, but also many threats against which these local universities have to fight bravely, such as the still limit of governmental support, the lack of cooperation system between school and company, the lagging behind in economic development level and the shortage of college students.Chapter Five is examples of data model. Take Jiangxi universities as research sample, from the perspective of dominant and invisible human capital, this chapter deeply analyzes the quality status of Jiangxi human capital in colleges and universities by using the statistics, examples, and comparisons etc. It further explores the contribution of Jiangxi university talents made to economy growth with real evidence. With the statistics drawn from the established and improved Cobb-Douglas Production Function Model, we learn that Jiangxi total capital does less job in promoting economic increase than the labor and the rate of contribution for Jiangxi human capital towards economy though has been increasing is still very slow.Chapter Six is the empirical study of performance. With regard to DEA evaluation, this chapter assesses the scientific research investment of Jiangxi colleges & universities and the real output of the performance of scientific research innovation in 2004-2013, and meanwhile the technical efficiency of three different institutions in Jiangxi: universities, enterprises and research academies. The former assessment shows that in general, Jiangxi local colleges and universities have achieved good results, making rather efficient management in the performance of scientific research innovation, and the latter indicates the technical efficiency of all three kinds of institutions are keeping increasing each year, among which the universities are in a better state compared with enterprises and research academies.Chapter Seven is the enlightenment from domestic and abroad experience. This mainly analyzes of their local universities serving regional economy. By closely examining the experience of local universities from Europe and America, with the U.S.A., the U.K. and Canada as examples and some Asian countries mainly Japan, Singapore and the South Korea, this chapter focuses on the abroad experience of these institutions of higher education serving their local economy development. Though the regions served and the economic models are both different, there are still some useful experience and enlightenment we could obtain, such as coordinating efforts for mutual interests with the enterprises, greatly developing private education and building some leagues and associations to co-increase the serving ability towards the regional economy.In additional, there are some successful patterns in our own country, especially those universities in the developed costal areas deserve our attention. They have made great breakthrough in serving local economy these years, and accumulated rich experience in performing their social functions and promoting self-development at the same time. All the above models and patterns from different countries and different places are very useful for our Jiangxi local universities to study as reference in serving local economic.Chapter Eight is policy suggestion and approaches. After the status discussed, problems being sorted out, reasons being analyzed and conclusion arrived with real evidence from domestic and abroad experience, this chapter goes on to introduce some successful patterns, especially those universities in the developed costal areas. With the guidance of the New Growth Theory, it systematically analyzes how these local schools successfully establish a cooperation relation with the local government and enterprises. Last, it centers on how Jiangxi local talent capital can make a significant contribution to the regional economic growth from three aspects:systematic mechanism, improved abilities and approached explored.Chapter Nine is the conclusion and prospect. The main conclusion, innovation and shortage of the study have been concluded in this chapter. No doubt, local universities providing sustainable service for the construction of regional economy is a long-term exploration process. In this process, how to create external conditions so as to provide effective service for local universities serving the regional economy? And whether can these universities initiatively combine their own development with offering service for local economy and society? How to ensure the participation and involvement of the universities being positive towards the local economy with the guidance of Imbedibility Theory? And especially how to successfully integrate the regional economic construction, local universities development with recent OBOR strategy in the New Normal? All the above are some important subjects which require more exploration and discussion in academic circle in future.