The Influence of Elite Philanthropy on the Evolution of Higher Education

Abstract

China’s ambition of world-class university promotes the evolution of higher education. In terms of social and economic change, there are several external driving factors on the evolution of Chinese higher education, this paper proposes a new driving factor: The Chinese elite philanthropy. Three cases were studied to analyze the influence of elite philanthropy on the evolution of Chinese higher education. In order to establish an appropriate analytical framework, our research uses the historical development time sequence to investigate the evolution of China's higher education, selects representative cases, and explores from the perspective of macro and micro. To examine Chinese higher education evolution, specifically to analyze the influence of elite philanthropy, we focused on cross case studies base on timeline, Chinese social condition, government policy, philanthropic action and education reformation. The paper proposes not only that the elite philanthropists provide financial support to Chinese higher education, but also that the elite philanthropy gradually exert influence on the evolution process.