Abstract: Common prosperity is a global challenge that hinges on the organic unity of growth and sharing,as well as fairness and efficiency. This article proposes a theory of“empowering common prosperity”with Chinese characteristics, which centers on impartially empowering economic entities with development opportunities and capabilities. This theoretical framework operates at three levels: First, income growth and distribution gaps, though widely discussed, are merely surface-level outcomes. Second, the vertical growth and horizontal distribution of human capital act as intermediate drivers determining the level and evolution of common prosperity. Third, high-quality and inclusive public services that foster conditions for human capital development constitute the underlying foundation. Such services exert a dual effect: increasing the aggregate value of societal human capital and optimizing its distribution. Furthermore, this study constructs a quantitative evaluation system for empowering common prosperity by leveraging high-fidelity big data and integrating methods such as machine learning and trajectory analysis.

Key words: public services, human capital, economic growth, common prosperity