Study On The Correlation Between The Quantity Of Higher Education And Economic Growth In China's Provinces

The current studies on the relationship between higher education and economy were made from a national perspective, and a country's internal regional perspective is to be explored. Therefore, studying the relation between the development 'of higher education and the economic level in China's provinces (cities, districts) will not only help to open up study areas and visions, but also provide basis and reference for formulating development plans of higher education in provinces (cities, districts ) .This study, first of all, through the methods of mathematical statistics, verifies that there is a correlation between economic growth and the quantity of higher education in various provinces; then, by establishing regression equations based on this correlation, it reveals in depth that regional economic development promotes the development of higher education, and it analyzes the rationality of the current size of higher education and the planning objectives in 2010 in each province. Finally, with mathematical model, it reveals the effects and contributions of the expansion of higher education to the local short-term and long-term economic growth in provinces, and compares these contributions on provincial level.The study finds that, first, positive correlation exists closely between the quantity of higher education and economic growth in each province. In different regions with different levels of economic development, supportive effects of economic growth to the expansion of higher education vary, and these effects gradually decrease as economic level rises. Analysis shows that, according to the provincial economic objectives in 2010, planning objectives of the gross enrollment rate of higher education in 2010 are relatively conservative in provinces and municipalities like Yunnan, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Fujian, Shandong and Guangdong, while relatively high in Jilin, Shaanxi, Hubei, Chongqing, Anhui, Sichuan, and Tianjin.Second, the short-time contribution rates of expansion of the quantity of higher education to GDP growth are different among provinces. The rates are more than 1 percent in Hainan, Gansu and Ningxia, 0.41%-0.67% in 13 provinces like Jiangxi and Yunnan, 0.06%-0.30% in other 13 provinces such as Inner Mongolia and Qinghai. Therefore, for those provinces where rates are high, local economic development can be stimulated by expanding the quantity of higher education. Third, the long-time contribution rates of expansion of the quantity of higher education to GDP growth are more than 3 percent in Shanghai, Beijing and Fujian, 1.5%-2.5% in 7 provinces like Zhejiang and Anhui, 1%-1.5% in 10 provinces like Guangxi and Henan, while less than 1% in 8 provinces such as Inner Mongolia and Ningxia. This shows that, the rates in eastern, central and western regions, from high to low, are in line with echelon distribution. It is clear that the expansion of the quantity of higher education plays a positive role in long-term economic growth in some provinces, where the contribution rate of higher education to long-term economic growth can be raised by increasing the flexibility of education outputs, giving priority to the development of higher education and other measures.