Does the Digital Economy Promote Coordinated Urban–Rural Development? Evidence from China

Abstract

Urban–rural coordination development is a key factor in achieving sustainable development. The research sample consisted of panel data for 30 provinces in China for the period from 2011 to 2020. Our aim was to investigate whether and how the digital economy affects coordinated urban–rural development by using a panel data model, a spatial Durbin model (SDM), and a mediating effects model. The results indicate that (1) the growth of the digital economy has increased the level of coordinated urban–rural development directly and indirectly; (2) the coordinated development of urban and rural areas and the spatial distribution of the digital economy are highly correlated, with eastern regions generally experiencing a high level of agglomeration and central and western regions having a low level of agglomeration; (3) the digital economy can promote coordinated urban–rural development by reducing the income gap between urban and rural areas; and (4) the direct and the spatial promotion effects of digital economy development on coordinated urban–rural development appear to be stronger in the eastern region, insignificant in the central region, and to have a significant direct inhibition, as well as a significant spatial spillover effect, in the western region. This study provides a reference for China and other developing countries similar to China on how to promote coordinated urban and rural development in the development process of the digital economy.

Spatio-Temporal Evolution and Influencing Factors of Coupling Coordination Degree between Urban–Rural Integration and Digital Economy

“…Meanwhile, there is weak multicollinearity between each explanatory variable and its spatial lag term, resulting in a lower value of R 2 than that of the ordinary OLS model. In general, most scholars do not deal with multicollinearity [76]. According to the regression results, the positive and negative coefficients of explanatory variables of the four models are basically consistent.…”

“…Trade openness: this represents the types and amounts of import and export commodities directly affecting the income of suppliers and thus affecting the income level of urban and rural residents; it can also introduce advanced technologies, thus promoting the development of the DE and influencing the CCD. So, the ratio of total imports and exports to GDP of each province and city is adopted [76]. Investment openness: in the process of China's development, the scale and structure of foreign investment have great regional differences, which has become an important factor affecting the CCD.…”

Driving Mechanism of Comprehensive Land Consolidation on Urban–Rural Development Elements Integration

“…The imbalance between urban and rural development is a global issue, prevalent in multiple countries and regions, including China, India, Brazil, and Latin America [1,2]. This imbalanced development leads to the widening wealth gap, exacerbates rural poverty, and poses challenges to the sustainable development of societies [3]. Promoting integrated urban-rural development has become a pressing concern in global development that urgently needs to be addressed [4].…”