数字经济背景下互联网普及对残差收入不平等的影响

The Impact of Internet Use on Residual Income Inequality in Digital Age

基于中国综合社会调查(CGSS)数据,考察了互联网普及与残差收入不平等之间的非单调关系。结果发现:互联网普及与残差收入不平等之间存在显著的倒“U”型关系,二者之间的倒“U”型关系主要来源于下层残差收入不平等,在男性和女性、城镇和农村的分样本中,二者之间的倒“U”型关系依然成立。时间趋势检验发现:自2011年起,互联网普及对残差收入不平等的影响相对于2004年显著降低。通过DFL方法对残差收入不平等的变化分解发现:当互联网普及率较低时,价格效应是残差收入不平等上升的主要原因,互联网普及主要通过增加劳动力不可观测技能回报提高残差收入不平等;当互联网普及率较高时,价格效应降低,结构效应和价格效应共同作用使得残差收入不平等下降。

Using data from Chinese General Social Survey(CGSS), this paper examines the non-monotonic relationship between internet penetration and residual income inequality. Results show that there is a significant inverted U-shaped relationship between internet penetration and residual income inequality, which is robust for men and women, urban and rural areas. It is mainly derived from the difference between 50-10 quantiles of residual. Besides, it is found that since 2011 the impact of internet penetration on residual income inequality has been decreasing compared to 2004. Using DFL method, it is found that the price effect which increases return of unobservable skills is the main reason for increase in residual income inequality when Internet penetration is low. Internet popularization mainly increases residual income inequality by increasing the return on unobservable skills of labor force.Residual income inequality decreases through structure effect and price effect when Internet penetration is high.