Digital economy and rural household resilience: Evidence from China

Abstract

In 2020, China achieved the goal of eradicating absolute poverty in rural areas, securing a comprehensive victory in the fight against poverty. As a result, the focal point of the 'three rural' (agriculture, countryside, and farmers) works underwent a historic shift. However, one should be cautious as the eradication of absolute poverty did not fundamentally alter the inherent vulnerability of small farming households. Rural areas, especially those recently lifted out of poverty, still face challenges such as low development quality, weak industrial foundations, limited human capital, and inadequate resilience against external risks and challenges, posing real risks of falling back into poverty. Hence, during this critical period of consolidating and expanding the achievements in poverty alleviation, it is of great practical significance to construct a comprehensive indicator system objectively assessing rural household resilience to uncertainty shocks.