Enhancing the quality of higher education is a key focus in building a strong educational nation.Digital technology is a critical pathway for empowering higher education and promoting the modernization of Chinese education.This study uses data from the China Family Panel Studies(CFPS)to examine the impact pathways and mech-anisms of digital technology on the returns to higher education.The study finds that digit-al technology can simultaneously enhance both the informational and productive effects of higher education,signaling positively to the labor market and improving the abilities of educated individuals,thereby increasing the value of higher education.Mechanism test-ing reveals that digital technology boosts educational returns by expanding employment opportunities and improving work efficiency.The enabling effect of digital technology on the productive effects of higher education is widespread,showing an inverted U-shaped curve as income percentiles rise,with those at the 30th percentile benefiting the most.In contrast,the enabling effect of digital technology on the informational effects of higher education is mainly observed among low-and middle-income groups.The impact of di-gital technology on higher education returns varies across generations,disciplines,indus-tries,and urban-rural divides.The study suggests that higher education should use digital-ization as a key entry point to improve educational quality and returns,thereby cultivat-ing more digital talent for the labor market.
关键词
数字科技/高等教育回报/信息效应/生产效应
Key words
digital technology/returns to higher education/informational effect/pro-ductive effect
万方数据