The impact of institutional support on university research efficiency in China: based on super-efficiency SBM and panel regression models

ABSTRACT

This study utilizes provincial-level panel data from 2013 to 2021 from the Chinese mainland and applies the super-efficiency SBM model to measure provincial university research efficiency. This study categorizes institutional support into formal and informal types, examines the impact of institutional support on university research efficiency, and analyzes the mediating role of industry-university cooperation intensity and university research platform construction in this impact. Through regression analysis, the findings indicate that both formal and informal institutional support can promote university research efficiency. Institutional support can influence university research efficiency through the mediation of industry-university cooperation intensity and university research platform construction.

KEYWORDS:

• Institutional support
• University research efficiency
• Industry-university cooperation intensity
• University research platform construction

JEL CLASSIFICATION:

• O17
• I23

Acknowledgement

I am grateful for the suggestions and efforts made by the reviewers and editors.

Disclosure statement

The author declares that the study is conducted without any commercial or financial relationships that can be interpreted as a potential conflict of interest.

Author contributions

Shi Cong completes the manuscript independently, which includes the design of the research framework, data collection and analysis, as well as manuscript writing and revision.

Consent to publish statement

The author agrees to the publication of this paper.

Data availability statement

The data on formal institutional support are obtained from the China Statistical Yearbook and China Statistical Yearbook on Science and Technology. The data on informal institutional support is obtained from China Stock Market & Accounting Research Database (CSMAR). The data on university research efficiency, industry-university cooperation intensity, and university research platform construction are obtained from Compendium of Higher Education Institutions’ Science and Technology Statistics. The data on control variables are obtained from China Statistical Yearbook and Compendium of Higher Education Institutions’ Science and Technology Statistics.

Additional information

Funding

This study is supported by the Postgraduate Education Teaching Reform Project of Shanxi Province, specifically the projects “A Study on Exploring the Ecological Construction of First-class Disciplines” (2023JG032) and ‘Evaluation of “13th Five-Year” Key Discipline Construction Program’ (2022YJJG080).