Based on Residents' Mental Health Perspective: A Study on the Spatial Spillover Effects of Rural Digitalization on China's Agricultural and Rural Modernization

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jiem.202503305

Author(s)

Songyan Zhang*, Ya Huang, Junxia Wang

Affiliation(s)

Department of Economics, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study utilizes panel data from 30 provincial-level regions in China from 2011 to 2023 to investigate the impact effects, underlying mechanisms, and spatial distribution characteristics of rural digitalization on agricultural and rural modernization. Methodologically, the entropy weight method quantifies rural digitalization and agricultural modernization levels. A fixed-effects model tests their relationship and operational mechanisms, while spatial econometric models and Moran's I index analyze spatial clustering effects. Findings reveal that driven by increased investment in agricultural technological innovation, rural digitalization continuously advances agricultural and rural modernization, optimizing rural governance and improving residents' living standards. Simultaneously, the study uncovers significant spatial clustering and regional disparities in agricultural modernization. Rural digitalization not only promotes coordinated development among neighboring areas and alleviates livelihood pressures but may also trigger a “siphon effect” in developed regions. The conclusion emphasizes the need to accelerate rural digital infrastructure development, improve regional coordination mechanisms, strengthen talent recruitment, and optimize ecological governance. These measures will enhance farmers' incomes while safeguarding their physical and mental health and quality of life.

Keywords

Rural Digitalization; Agricultural and Rural Modernization; Spatial Econometrics; Physical-Mental Health

References

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