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The Impact of New Quality Productive Forces on High-Quality Development of Higher Education: Evidence from China

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  • Changkui Liu

    (Glorious Sun School of Business and Management, Donghua University, No. 1882, Yan‘an West Road, Shanghai 200051, China)

Abstract

Amid accelerating technological change and structural transformation, advanced productivity regimes characterized by technological innovation, digital transformation, and green upgrading have become key drivers of economic restructuring. In China, this transformation is conceptualized as new quality productive forces (NQPFs). However, their implications for higher education systems remain insufficiently explored. This study examines how NQPFs influence the high-quality development of higher education. Using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2015 to 2022, composite indices constructed with the entropy method are used to measure NQPFs and the high-quality development of higher education, and mediation effect models, together with a Spatial Durbin Model, are employed to analyze the underlying mechanisms and spatial interactions. The results show that NQPFs significantly promote the high-quality development of higher education. This effect operates mainly through industrial collaborative agglomeration and digital infrastructure development and also generates positive spatial spillover effects across regions. These findings highlight the role of productivity transformation in shaping the structural foundations of higher education development in the digital era.

Suggested Citation

  • Changkui Liu, 2026. "The Impact of New Quality Productive Forces on High-Quality Development of Higher Education: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-22, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:18:y:2026:i:7:p:3308-:d:1908646
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