LI Lili, LI Yuzhu, ZENG Yiwu
Using China's provincial panel data from 2013 to 2021, this study constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system for rural digital infrastructure in China. The Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, and the natural breaks classification method are employed to examine its development level and regional disparities. Furthermore, the DEA window analysis method is applied to assess the efficiency of rural digital infrastructure in narrowing the urban-rural income gap, income disparities across rural regions, and income inequality among farmers. The results indicate that although China's rural digital infrastructure has experienced steady improvement, its overall development level remains relatively low and growth has been modest. A pronounced spatial gradient is evident, with development levels declining from the eastern coastal regions toward inland areas. Interregional disparities contribute approximately 50% of the overall regional inequality. From a dynamic perspective, both overall and interregional disparities in rural digital infrastructure development exhibit a downward trend nationwide. The relative gap between the western region and the eastern and central regions has narrowed, although substantial intraregional disparities persist within the western region. Marked intraprovincial heterogeneity is observed, giving rise to a five-tier structure comprising low, relatively low, medium, relatively high, and high development levels. In terms of overall gap-narrowing efficiency, rural digital infrastructure development in China at the current stage largely conforms to the requirements of moderately forward-looking development. Improvements in comprehensive gap-narrowing efficiency are primarily driven by gains in technical efficiency, while the capacity to translate technological conditions into effective scale and coverage benefits remains limited. On this basis, policy recommendations are proposed from three perspectives: moderately forward-looking investment, comprehensive and coordinated development, and region-specific advancement of rural digital infrastructure.