Impact of Graduate Student Expansion and Innovative Human Capital on Green Total Factor Productivity

Using data from 30 provinces and cities in China from 2005–2018, panel regression models, mediation models, quantile regressions and threshold regressions were used to examine the relationship between graduate student size expansion, innovative human capital and green total factor productivity (GTFP...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 15; no. 2; p. 1721
Main Authors Yao, Hao, Gu, Xiulin, Yu, Qing
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2023
Subjects
Capital structure
Developing countries
Economic development
Economic growth
Efficiency
Energy resources
Environmental impact
Graduate students
Heterogeneity
Higher education
Human capital
Industrial development
Innovations
LDCs
Productivity
Regions
Regression analysis
Sustainable development
China
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Summary:Using data from 30 provinces and cities in China from 2005–2018, panel regression models, mediation models, quantile regressions and threshold regressions were used to examine the relationship between graduate student size expansion, innovative human capital and green total factor productivity (GTFP) and analyze the influence mechanisms and heterogeneity among them. The results of the study are as follows: First, graduate student expansion and innovative human capital are the driving force for GTFP growth in China, and graduate student size expansion indirectly boosts GTFP by promoting the supply of innovative human capital, with a 73% mediating effect. Second, the effects of graduate student expansion and innovative human capital on GTFP show a trend of diminishing marginal benefits, and the estimated coefficient of the effect of graduate student scale share on GTFP has an inverted U-shaped relationship. Third, there is a significant threshold feature of industrial structure upgrading in the influence of graduate student scale expansion on GTFP. The study makes suggestions in terms of expanding of the graduate students, rationalizing the enrollment structure of universities, optimizing the regional industrial structure and creating a social innovation environment.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su15021721