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Arid Land Geography ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (1): 198-210.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.003

• Regional Development • Previous Articles    

Influence mechanism and spatial effects of the digital economy on the urban-rural income gap in Gansu Province

LI Xiaoke1(), CHEN Qiangqiang1,2()   

  1. 1 College of Finance and Economics, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
    2 Research Center for Ecological Construction and Environmental Protection of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730030, Gansu, China
  • Received:2025-01-03 Revised:2025-03-22 Online:2026-01-25 Published:2026-01-18
  • Contact: CHEN Qiangqiang E-mail:15212410866@163.com;jjglxy666@126.com

Abstract:

Exploring the mechanism through which the digital economy influences the urban-rural income gap holds significant importance for promoting integrated urban-rural development and achieving common prosperity. Based on relevant data from 14 cities (prefectures) in Gansu Province of China from 2012 to 2022, this study employs a fixed effects model and a spatial econometric model to empirically analyze the impact mechanism and spatial effects of the digital economy on urban-rural income gap. The findings are as follows: (1) The impact of the digital economy on the urban-rural income gap in Gansu Province exhibits a nonlinear “narrowing-widening-narrowing” pattern and has entered a critical phase since 2022, with the digital economy widening the urban-rural income gap. (2) Regional heterogeneity analysis reveals that the influence of the digital economy on the urban-rural income gap varies across different regions of Gansu Province. Specifically, a pronounced “inverted N-shaped” relationship is observed in the southeastern region of Gansu, while the impact is relatively weak in the central region and statistically insignificant in the Hexi Corridor region. (3) Mechanism analysis indicates that industrial structure upgrading and agricultural socialized services are crucial channels through which the digital economy affects the urban-rural income gap in Gansu Province. (4) There is a notable spatial clustering phenomenon in the urban-rural income gap across Gansu Province. The direct, indirect, and total effects of the digital economy on the urban-rural income gap all demonstrate an “inverted N-shaped” relationship, implying the presence of spatial spillover effects in the digital economy’s influence on the urban-rural income gap.

Key words: digital economy, industrial structure upgrading, agricultural socialized services, spatial spillover effect, Gansu Province