Abstract
Higher education institutions (HEIs) are the key to the economic and social development of a country. However, the recent advancements of higher education institutions’ universities in China have become a pivotal factor contributing to their swift growth. Considering the impact of the external environment, applying a three-stage data-envelopment analysis (DEA) and the Malmquist index method, we evaluated the static and dynamic efficiency of input–output data of scientific research produced by universities directly under the Ministry of Education in the period of 2010 to 2017. Results showed that the three stage DEA model is more accurate than the traditional DEA method for measuring the efficiency of scientific research input and universities’ output. The overall efficiency of universities’ scientific research activities increased at an average annual rate of 3.7% from 2010 to 2017. Further analysis showed that the optimization of the scale was the primary internal factor able to promote the efficiency of scientific research in universities. Technological progress slightly diminishes the efficiency of scientific research in universities, which should, therefore, take measures to improve pure technical efficiency to enlarge the scale of their scientific research according to the characteristics of scientific research efficiency. Such steps will strengthen internal motivation towards scientific research efficiency in universities.
Highlights
Technological advancements increasingly playing a distinguished role in the growth of dominant industrial economics
The study results reveal that the three stage data-envelopment analysis (DEA) model is more accurate than the traditional DEA method for measuring the efficiency of scientific research input and universities’ output
Since the impacts of external environmental factors and random disturbances were not considered in this stage, these results could not reveal the actual level of scientific research productivity in universities directly under the Ministry of Education, so it was necessary to conduct more in depth adjustment and calculation
Summary
Technological advancements increasingly playing a distinguished role in the growth of dominant industrial economics. Scientific and technological innovation are the power source of national development, and universities are their cradle. The Chinese government has increased investment in scientific research funds, guided active co-operation between various fields and universities, and promoted the improvement of scientific research innovation. According to the compiled statistics on the science and technology programs of higher learning institutions, the total amount of scientific research funding in Chinese universities increased from RMB 45.758 billion in 2006 [1], to RMB. 177.289 billion in 2017 [2], an increase of 287.45%. Whether these increased scientific research resources are being properly utilized has become a focus. Universities’ research outcomes are the key factors to increasing economics; assessing their efficiency is an important aspect
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