What the study found
The digital economy was found to significantly improve the coordinated development of the rural economy and ecological environment in Chinese provinces on average. The effect was not uniform: it appeared only after rural educational attainment passed a critical threshold, and its marginal contribution became smaller as digital development increased.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors say this matters because the study suggests the digital economy may help relieve the tension between rural economic growth and environmental sustainability. They conclude that strengthening rural education, deepening digital technology use, and improving regional coordination are important for making better use of this effect.
What the researchers tested
The researchers used balanced panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2021. They built an index of coupling coordinated development of the rural economy–environment and analyzed the role of the digital economy using a two-way fixed-effects framework, mediation analysis, panel threshold regression, and a spatial Durbin model.
What worked and what didn't
The digital economy had a positive average association with coordinated rural economy–environment development. The mechanism analysis showed that it mainly worked through technological innovation and urbanization, and that a better human capital structure strengthened the relationship. Spatial analysis found spillover effects across regions, with effects based on economic distance larger than those based on geographic proximity.
What to keep in mind
The abstract describes results for Chinese provinces only, using data from 2011 to 2021. It also reports that the positive effect is conditional and nonlinear, and that the marginal contribution declines as digital development rises. The abstract does not describe additional limitations beyond these scope conditions.
Key points
- The digital economy significantly improved rural economy–environment coordination on average in 30 Chinese provinces.
- The positive effect appeared only after rural educational attainment crossed a threshold.
- The effect weakened as digital development increased.
- Technological innovation and urbanization were the main pathways reported.
- Spatial spillovers were present, and economic-distance spillovers were stronger than geographic ones.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Digital economy is linked to better rural economy–environment coordination in China
- Authors:
- Shiou Liao, Chunfang Yang, Yifeng Zhang
- Institutions:
- Nanjing Forestry University, Baoshan College
- Publication date:
- 2026-01-28
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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