“以点带面”:区域高校集群发展何以振兴中西部高等教育

How the Cluster Development of Regional University Can Revitalize Higher Education in Central and Western China

国家战略重心已转向以区域高校集群发展,发挥“极点”作用,“以点带面”为中西部高等教育振兴提供强力后劲。结合规模经济、范围经济与知识溢出效应的理论框架,构建一个考虑空间集聚或离散信息的计量模型,通过收集2015—2022年中西部19个省(自治区、直辖市)内82所高校的面板数据,检验了区域高校集群发展与中西部高等教育振兴的“集聚—溢出效应”。研究发现,中西部高校在一定地理范围内的空间集聚具有“点式效应”,所产生的规模经济、范围经济效应显著提高了学术活力、科研创新水平,其“示范效应”通过空间溢出效应表征出来,并能够通过空间效应β收敛机制推动中西部高等教育振兴。展望未来,中西部高等教育振兴的战略重心转向“软治理”机制,优化教学、科研、财务管理等制度环境,解放教学、科研人员“手脚”,以此留住人才,并在区域高校集群发展的空间格局演进中,充分发挥“极点”作用。

The national strategy has shifted to the development of regional university clusters,leveraging the growth pole effect and providing strong momentum for the revitalization of higher education in Central and Western China through"driving'the whole area from one point".Combining the theoretical frameworks of economies of scale and scope,knowledge spillover effect,an econometric model considering spatial agglomeration or discrete information is constructed,and the panel data of 82 universities within 19 provinces from 2015 to 2022 are collected to test the development of regional university clusters and the revitalization of higher education in Central and Western China.It is found that the spatial agglomeration of universities within a certain geographic range has a"point effect",and the resulting economies of scale significantly improve academic vitality,scientific research and innovation,and its"demonstration effect"is characterized by the spatial spillover effect,that is promote the revitalization of higher education through β convergence mechanism.The strategic should focus on the"soft governance"mechanism,optimize the institutional environment for governance,free up teachers and researchers from trivial matter and give full play to the growth pole effect of regional university cluster development.