Research on the influencing factors of inter-provincial differences in educational expenditure per student in secondary vocational education based on fsQCA method

This study focuses on 31 provinces in China, examining five critical indicators: regional economic development levels, industrial structure, local fiscal capacity, governmental willingness to invest, and the number of full-time teachers. Utilizing fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), the research meticulously explores the inter-provincial disparities in per-student expenditure for secondary vocational education and the underlying mechanisms at play. The findings reveal that per-student expenditures exhibit one high-expenditure pattern and two low-expenditure configurational pathways across different regions. By comparing the relationships between these high and low configurations, it becomes evident that, under certain conditions, regional economic development levels, industrial structure, governmental willingness to invest, and the number of full-time teachers are pivotal determinants influencing the funding allocations for secondary vocational education.