Digitalization Driving High-Quality Converged Development of Rural Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Industries: Mechanisms, Effects, and Paths

Abstract

The convergence of rural primary, secondary, and tertiary industries is an effective way to establish a modern rural industrial system. The digital transformation of rural industries is a new idea to promote high-quality converged development. This paper focuses on the converged development of China’s rural industries, trying to explore the impact of digitalization on the high-quality converged development of China’s rural industries. Firstly, the mechanisms of digitalization driving rural industrial convergence are revealed. Secondly, we use panel data of 30 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) in China from 2011 to 2020 to empirically test the impact of digitalization on rural industrial convergence. Finally, considering the regional differences in industrial structure, the non-linear impact of digitalization on rural industrial convergence is examined. The results indicate digitalization has a significant positive effect on rural industrial convergence, and the impact of the latter has a dual threshold effect with regional heterogeneity based on industrial structure. Therefore, it is suggested to accelerate the construction of digital infrastructure, strengthen digital application, promote regional coordinated development, and improve the institutional system, which are expected to contribute to a deeper connection between digitalization and rural industries.