Educational Inequality and Regional Disparities: Institutional Reforms and Their Impact

[2C206] Regional Differences and Driving Factors in the Supply of Higher Education Quality in Chinese Cities

*Qian JIANG¹ (1. Nagoya University)

Keywords:The Supply of Higher Education Quality, Multiscale Geographically Weighted Regression, Spatial Heterogeneity, Drivers, Chinese cities

For China, a developing country with a large population and vast geographical area, regional differences in the development of higher education quality have been a major challenge in education development. Given the lack of spatial dimension in previous studies, this study evaluates the provision of higher education quality in 281 cities in China, focusing on the spatial heterogeneity of education quality provision and its influencing factors in 2021. The study adopts a multi-scale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model, which not only evaluates the scale of influence of covariates but also comprehensively reveals the pattern of spatial heterogeneity. The results show that the impact of good influences on the quality of higher education is more significant in the Northeast and weaker in the Southwest, highlighting the interregional heterogeneity. Specifically, 11 variables in 2011 contribute significantly and positively to the quality of education in 2021, including public book collection, quality of education, and green areas of built-up areas. In contrast, nine variables negatively affect the quality of education, such as the area of green space in parks, the number of mobile phone subscribers, and water supply. These findings deepen the understanding of differences in the spatial distribution of higher education quality and its determinants at the city level in China and provide valuable guidance for future policymaking.