Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis ›› 2024, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (7): 1694-1708.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20231007

• Agricultural Economy and Development • Previous Articles    

Impact of digital village construction on rural revitalization and development: based on empirical evidence from 1 804 counties in China

LIU Ying(), LAI Kaifeng*()   

  1. School of Economics and Management, North China University of Technology, Beijing 100144, China
  • Received:2023-08-23 Online:2024-07-25 Published:2024-08-05

Abstract:

Digital village is an important strategic direction for rural revitalization and a key content for promoting agricultural and rural modernization. In the present study, the contribution of digital village construction to rural revitalization at the theoretical level was described firstly. Then, based on the panel data of 1 804 counties in China from 2018 to 2020, the impact of digital rural construction on rural revitalization was analyzed by calculating the rural revitalization index via the self-constructed rural vitalization evaluation system and the pairing with the released Report on the digital countryside index at county level (2020). The results showed that the digital village construction had a significant promoting effect on rural revitalization. The digitization of rural economy and rural life had a significant effect on promoting rural revitalization, while the digitization of rural infrastructure and rural governance did not show the desired effect. Digital village construction significantly promoted thriving businesses, social etiquette and civility and prosperity. In counties with high levels of digital villages, the construction of digital village had a significant contributing effect on rural revitalization. The effect of digital villages driving rural revitalization was more significant in counties with lower public budget expenditures. The above findings indicated that the rural revitalization at the current stage should be closely integrated with the opportunity of digital village construction, and should be focused on promoting the digital transformation of rural economy and enhancing the convenience of rural residents’ digital life. The government should increase investment in the construction of digital villages, especially the support for the lagged areas.

Key words: rural revitalization, digital village, digitalization of rural economy, digitalization of rural life

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