A Study Of R&D Efficiency Of Guangxi Public Univercities

As the main body of higher education in China,regional undergraduate colleges and universities differ from research-oriented universities whose R&D mainly focus on the academic frontier and the national major strategies.The R&D of regional undergraduate colleges and universities serve for the local economic and social development and industrial demand,which constitutes an important force driving the regional innovation.With the further progress made in regional innovation-driven development strategy,the structural reform of supply front as well as the “double first-rate" strategy of the nation,how to improve R&D input-output efficiency to reduce inefficient input and how to improve the supply quality of scientific research achievements to promote the transformation of scientific research output into practical productivity become an urgent need for high-quality R&D development of local undergraduate colleges and universities.It also become the major concern for the government and academia.In view of the excessive emphasis on quantitative analysis of efficiency research in existing universities,the X-efficiency theory is introduced in this study for the empirical research on R&D efficiency of colleges and universities,and a theoretical analysis framework combining both quantitative and qualitative analysis is established,with public undergraduate colleges and universities in Guangxi in Western China as its objects of study.The study consists of the following four parts:In the first part,a theoretical analysis framework of the input & output efficiency of R&D in colleges and universities is established based on the theory of X efficiency,public choice as well as human capital.Different from most empirical research literature which directly use DEA,SFA and TFP as the theoretical basis for efficiency analysis of colleges and universities,the first three chapters of this study,on the basis of the summary of the existing literature,review of the related theories and the field research,by integrating the core viewpoints of the theory of X-efficiency,public choice and human capital,constructs the theoretical analysis framework of R&D efficiency of colleges and universities,and as a result,establishes the relationship between X-efficiency and technical efficiency,which is the pure technical efficiency of R&D under variable return scale(VRS)is overestimated.By conducting a comprehensive analysis of the measurement of input-output efficiency and its influencing factors under the assumption of rational economic man with the cause analysis of X-efficiency under the rational hypothesis of individual behavior choice,will lay a scientific theoretical foundation for the research of R&D efficiency in colleges and universities.In the second part,quantitative analysis is carried out by using the theoretical analysis framework.In chapter 4-5,with the public colleges and universities as the object,by taking the pure technical efficiency of R&D under the condition of VRS as the overestimated X-efficiency and using the DEA,panel fixed effect model,threshold effect model and other quantitative analysis methods,this study tries to measure the efficiency and redundancy,intertemporal total factor productivity and efficiency influencing factors of science and engineering R&D as well as humanities and social sciences R&D respectively.The results are as follows:(1)The R&D input-output of public universities in Guangxi is characterized by X-inefficiency,the coexistence of input redundancy and insufficient output,and the utilization rate of scientific research resources needs to be improved.It is difficult to effectively promote the productivity growth of R&D only by expanding the input scale;(2)the positive and negative effects of government subsidy and financial support policies on R&D efficiency coexist;(3)human capital has an impact on R&D efficiency There is a threshold effect on R&D efficiency,and over reliance on human capital accumulated by doctoral diploma as a "signal" of talent screening is not conducive to the improvement of R&D efficiency;(4)female human capital and the age structure of human capital in a particular age group have a significant positive effect on R&D efficiency.In the third part,qualitative analysis is carried out by applying the theoretical analysis framework.In Chapter 6,based on the conclusion of quantitative analysis and combined with the view of X-efficiency theory that the given input cannot be transformed into the expected output,the study focuses on the core issues,and aims to explore the deep-seated reasons for the existence of X-inefficiency using the "semi-structured" interview method from the government,universities and their internal members at different levels of actors decision-making,motivation,choice of behavior and other aspects.The following findings are complementary with the quantitative research conclusion:(1)The research evaluation baton of "valuing quantity but neglecting quality" is the fundamental reason for the low output of high-quality R&D achievements;(2)the single source of scientific research funds and the lack of independent funds are the objective reasons for the lack of scale efficiency of R&D;(3)the imbalance between academic power and administrative power is the direct reason for the low efficiency of scientific research management;(4)it is different from the neo classical classics Based on the hypothesis of economic man,the rational choice of University Teachers’ personal behavior is the internal reason for the inefficient investment of R&D human capital.The fourth part summarizes the empirical conclusions draws on the successful cases,and then offer the relevant countermeasures and suggestions.Chapter 7 summarizes the empirical conclusions of quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis,and draws on the successful cases and practices of domestic and foreign universities in the transformation of knowledge production mode,scientific research funding investment,scientific research evaluation strategy,organizational structure innovation and other aspects,and puts forward feasible countermeasures and suggestions from the government and universities.