数字科技如何提升高等教育回报?——兼论高等教育优势重构

How Does Digital Technology Enhance the Returns to Higher Education?A Discussion on the Restruction of Higher Education Advantages

提升高等教育质量是教育强国建设的重要着力点。数字科技是赋能高等教育、推动中国式教育现代化的关键路径。文章采用中国家庭追踪调查数据,考察数字科技对高等教育回报的影响路径与机理。研究发现,数字科技能同时增强高等教育的信息效应和生产效应,既向劳动力市场传递积极信号,又能提高受教育者能力,增加高等教育含金量。机制检验发现,数字科技通过扩大就业机会和提高工作效率来提升教育回报。数字科技对高等教育生产效应的赋能具有普遍性,且随收入分位点的上升呈现先升后降的倒U型变化,其中30%分位收入水平的受教育者收益最大;而数字科技对高等教育信息效应的赋能则主要存在于中低收入群体;数字科技对高等教育回报的影响具有世代、学科、行业和城乡异质性。研究表明,高等教育应以数字化为切入口,提高教育质量和回报,为劳动力市场培养更多数字人才。

Enhancing the quality of higher education is a key focus in building a strong educational nation.Digital technology is a critical pathway for empowering higher education and promoting the modernization of Chinese education.This study uses data from the China Family Panel Studies(CFPS)to examine the impact pathways and mech-anisms of digital technology on the returns to higher education.The study finds that digit-al technology can simultaneously enhance both the informational and productive effects of higher education,signaling positively to the labor market and improving the abilities of educated individuals,thereby increasing the value of higher education.Mechanism test-ing reveals that digital technology boosts educational returns by expanding employment opportunities and improving work efficiency.The enabling effect of digital technology on the productive effects of higher education is widespread,showing an inverted U-shaped curve as income percentiles rise,with those at the 3Oth percentile benefiting the most.In contrast,the enabling effect of digital technology on the informational effects of higher education is mainly observed among low-and middle-income groups.The impact of di-gital technology on higher education returns varies across generations,disciplines,indus-tries,and urban-rural divides.The study suggests that higher education should use digital-ization as a key entry point to improve educational quality and returns,thereby cultivat-ing more digital talent for the labor market.