The Development of Higher Education and Regional Economic Growth: The Mediating Effects of Regional Innovation Capacity and Human Capital

Based on provincial panel data from 2001 to 2020, this paper empirically examines the relationship between higher education and regional economic growth, as well as the potential mediating roles of regional innovation capacity and human capital levels, using fixed-effects models and path analysis. The findings indicate that higher education can directly promote regional economic growth. Higher education not only promotes economic growth through human capital and innovation levels but also through the chain-mediating effects of human capital and innovation levels. The impact of higher education on regional economic growth exhibits regional heterogeneity, with the highest impact in the eastern region, followed by the central region, and a negative impact in the western region. Based on the analysis, this paper suggests that optimizing the employment environment in the central and western regions can leverage the role of higher education development in driving economic growth.