Systems Analysis of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competence Structure Among Chinese University Students: Evidence from Policy Texts

This study investigates the structure of innovation and entrepreneurship competence among university students in China. Based on an analysis of 33 policy texts on innovation and entrepreneurship education from 2010 to 2022, it constructs a structural model of university students’ innovation and entrepreneurship competence comprising the knowledge layer, ability layer, and literacy layer by employing the Onion Model. From the perspective of policy instruments, a two-dimensional competence–policy instrument analytical framework is established. The analysis reveals that the articulation of university students’ innovation and entrepreneurship competence in policy texts exhibits distinct stage-wise evolutionary characteristics. Furthermore, the current policy support system suffers from three structural imbalances: an over-reliance on supply-side policy instruments, with insufficient synergy from environmental and demand-side instruments; weak support from environmental and demand-side instruments for certain key competencies; and an emphasis on explicit knowledge over implicit literacy in the cultivation logic. Consequently, this study proposes a shift in the policy paradigm from factor input to system generation. Recommendations include optimizing the mix of policy instruments, improving the precision of interventions by environmental and demand-side instruments targeting key competencies, and reconstructing the cultivation system based on the different generative logics of explicit and implicit competence.