"Input-Output" Efficiency Of Agriculture-related Higher Vocational Education

Deepening the structural reform of agricultural higher vocational colleges,strengthening the construction of the support and security system,optimizing the management mode and operation system are the main issues in the improvement of the level and efficiency of agricultural vocational education in China since the reform and opening-up,among which the improvement of the "input-output" efficiency of agricultural higher vocational education is one of the hotspots of concern of policy makers in the academic and vocational education field.Guided by the theories of systematic education economics and vocational education,with the theory of "input-output" in Shaanxi agricultural higher vocational colleges clarified systematically and taking Shaanxi agricultural higher vocational colleges as a case study,this paper constructs the evaluation system of "input-output" efficiency based on data envelopment analysis and factor analysis models,through which the efficiency of agricultural higher vocational colleges is analyzed empirically.This study has positive theoretical and urgent practical significance for the improvement of the input-output efficiency of Shaanxi agricultural higher vocational colleges.The paper,containing six chapters,is divided into four parts according to the research contents and their logical relationship.The first part,the first chapter of the paper,is the introduction.Having the research subject and purpose of the paper defined,the paper summarizes and evaluates the existing literature and research results,clarifies the research ideas and selects the main research methods to construct the research program of this paper.The second part,the second and third chapters,is the theoretical analysis.Based on the conceptual analysis,the input-output efficiency of agricultural higher vocational colleges are analyzed,and a theoretical system to support the analysis and evaluation of the input-output efficiency of agricultural higher vocational colleges is formed.At the same time,the basic principles of "input-output" efficiency analysis and evaluation of agricultural higher vocational colleges are studied and defined.The advantages and disadvantages of different evaluation methods and evaluation results are compared and analyzed,and finally the analysis and evaluation methods to be adopted in this paper are selected.The third part,the fourth and fifth chapters,is the empirical analysis.Through cost input analysis,output analysis and "input-output" efficiency analysis,taking the "input-output" of Shaanxi agricultural vocational colleges as a case,a systematic analysis and evaluation of the "input-output" of agricultural vocational colleges in China is made,and the conclusion of the theoretical analysis of the second part verified.The hypothesis set in the second part,the conclusion of the theoretical analysis,are tested and verified.The fourth part,the sixth chapter,is the conclusion and discussion which mainly compared and abstracted the research conclusions and innovations of the paper,countermeasures and suggestions are proposed for improving the input-output efficiency of Shaanxi agricultural higher vocational colleges.Main research conclusions of the paper:(1)Adhering to the research mentality of test optimization,calculation of econometric data model and decision support,the paper expanded the evaluation system of "input-output" benefit of agricultural higher vocational colleges.This research has established an index system of educational cost input including comprehensive labor input,financial input and material input based on the characteristics and functions of Shaanxi agricultural higher vocational colleges.Through its selection of research methods and construction of the evaluation index system,the paper especially focused on the impact of personnel training output,scientific research output and social service output on the "input-output" benefit index system of agricultural higher vocational colleges,which has improved and perfected the research findings.According to the characteristics and functions of Shaanxi agricultural higher vocational colleges,special attention were paid on the application of comprehensive methods and indexes in the "input-output" benefit evaluation process,to ensure the objectivity of its research conclusions.(2)According to the characteristics of the multi-input and multi-output composite system in agricultural higher vocational colleges,this paper optimized the existing DEA evaluation methods.Mathematical derivations show that there is still room left for optimization in the traditional models.When optimizing the invalid decision-making units,the number of the optimized invalid decision-making units should be reduced as much as possible,and the invalid DMU should be mapped to the effective frontier which is quite necessary.Studies show that when the adjustment range is the minimum,the ineffective DEA units can be transformed into the weak effective DEA units,and the effective transformation can be achieved by increasing output and reducing input.Therefore,empirical analysis can be done by choosing the efficiency optimization model of minimum adjustment range and cost model combined with CCR / BCC models which can made up in some way for the limitations of traditional DEA evaluation methods.Current researches failed to take into account sufficiently the NCN model and cost model,as well as other practical problems such as the input redundancy and output shortage rate.This paper expands the existing researches,and enhances the model's practical explanatory power.Under certain conditions,the combination of NCN model and cost model with CCR / BCC model is superior to the traditional DEA evaluation model.(3)To illustrate the input of agriculture-related vocational colleges,six input indicators are chosen,namely the proportion of teachers and staff,double-qualified teachers,floor space,training base,fixed assets and financial input.According to the three basic functions of agriculture-related vocational colleges,indicators,such as number of students,the quality of talents,scientific research achievements and social services are used to illustrate their output.On this basis,using the optimized and improved data envelopment analysis method,quantitative analysis is made on the “input-output” situation of 7 agricultural higher vocational colleges in Shaanxi Province in the past three years(2011-2016),and the overall efficiency,technical efficiency and scale efficiency of these 7 colleges are evaluated respectively.Projection analysis is used on the non-DEA effective colleges and suggested values for each indicator are proposed.The input redundancy rate and output deficiency rate of the inefficient colleges are calculated.The results show that the overall efficiency of some colleges is below 1,which is caused by their low technical efficiency and low scale efficiency.Low technical efficiency indicates that the input resources have not been effectively utilized and low scale efficiency signifies that the scale of the colleges is either larger or smaller than adequate,namely Large scale diseconomy or Small scale diseconomy,during the process of either scale increasing or decreasing.With projection analysis on the middle and low efficiency colleges in Shaanxi agricultural higher vocational colleges,the improved values of the corresponding indicators are given,and the input redundancy rate and the output insufficiency rate are calculated.The model constructed in this research can be used to measure the main indicators of insufficient output and input redundancy effectively which gives directions to non-DEA effective agricultural vocational colleges in their resources integration and input-output structure improvement.