College of Sports Science, Nantong University, Nantong, 226019, Jiangsu, China.
Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 27;14(1):29482. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-81247-8.
Public sports services crucially determine the transformation of China into a robust sports country. The enhancement of public sports service efficiency fundamentally manifests its high-quality development. We utilize the data of 30 provinces in China in 2020 as the research object, and we apply data envelope analysis (DEA) to measure and evaluate the efficiency level of China's public sports services as well as Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to identify the critical influencing factors; moreover, we explore the grouping pathways that affect the efficiency improvement of public sports services. The results of the study indicate the following: (1) Although the efficiency of public sports services in China is high, regional differences are apparent. (2) GDP per capita, government support, and years of education are the key factors for efficiency improvement. (3) Population-government-led, economic-resource input, and economic-educational dual-drive are the core pathways for enhancing efficiency. Therefore, the following recommendations are made: boosting the efficiency of China's public sports services by focusing on the level of regional economic development and rationally allocating public sports resources; increasing the investment of public sports funds to enhance the quality and level of services; strengthening the government's purchasing efforts to promote the market-based operation of public sports services; and increasing the average years of education to strengthen the public's awareness and participation in sports. This study integrates Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for efficiency assessment and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) for causal analysis in public sports services, effectively addressing the limitations of single-method approaches. Thus, the scope of research is broadened, and a novel perspective is offered. DEA highlights efficiency disparities within Chinese public sports services, whereas the input-output system enhances the accuracy of evaluations. FsQCA identifies key drivers, inhibitors, and contextual combinations that assist policymakers. Overall, this study enriches theoretical understanding and provides practical guidance, facilitating high-quality development and addressing diverse sports demands.
公共体育服务对中国向体育强国的转型至关重要。公共体育服务效率的提高从根本上体现了其高质量发展。我们利用中国 2020 年 30 个省份的数据作为研究对象，运用数据包络分析（DEA）来衡量和评估中国公共体育服务的效率水平，并采用模糊集定性比较分析（fsQCA）来识别关键影响因素；此外，我们还探讨了影响公共体育服务效率提高的分组途径。研究结果表明：（1）中国公共体育服务效率虽高，但地区差异明显。（2）人均 GDP、政府支持和受教育年限是效率提高的关键因素。（3）人口-政府主导、经济-资源投入、经济-教育双重驱动是提高效率的核心途径。因此，提出以下建议：关注区域经济发展水平，合理配置公共体育资源，提高中国公共体育服务效率；增加公共体育资金投入，提高服务质量和水平；加强政府购买力度，促进公共体育服务市场化运作；提高平均受教育年限，增强公众体育意识和参与度。本研究将数据包络分析（DEA）用于效率评估和模糊集定性比较分析（fsQCA）用于公共体育服务的因果分析相结合，有效解决了单一方法的局限性。从而拓宽了研究范围，提供了新的视角。DEA 突出了中国公共体育服务内部的效率差距，而投入产出系统提高了评估的准确性。fsQCA 确定了关键驱动因素、抑制因素和情境组合，为政策制定者提供了帮助。总的来说，本研究丰富了理论认识，提供了实践指导，促进了高质量发展，满足了多样化的体育需求。
