数字经济的城乡收入分配效应研究

Urban-Rural Income Distribution Effect of Digital Economy

随着新兴数字技术的应用,数字经济发展对城乡收入分配格局影响受到广泛关注。在测算省级收入不平等程度和数字经济发展水平指数的基础上,实证分析数字经济发展对城乡收入差距的影响,并探讨其影响机制和异质性。研究发现,数字经济发展增加了城乡收入不平等程度,存在不利于城乡收入差距缩小的“数字鸿沟”。机制检验发现,“数字鸿沟”效应主要是由于城乡教育和就业机会差距扩大以及城镇化水平的不均等所导致的。异质性检验结果表明数字经济发展对城乡收入差距的影响在中低收入地区更显著,且在2016年后收入差距拉大的情况变得更为明显。此外,研究还发现这种负向影响存在空间溢出效应,数字经济发展还会扩大相邻地区的城乡收入分配差距。基于此,提出增强城乡融合发展,积极促进劳动者数字技能提升与维护数字时代良好市场秩序的建议,以期数字经济发展的“数字红利”发挥协调城乡发展的作用。

With the widespread application of emerging digital technologies,the impact of digital economy development on urban-rural income distribution patterns has received widespread attention.On the basis of calculating the income inequality degree at provincial level and the index of digital economy development level,this study empirically analyzes the impact of digital economy development on urban-rural income gap and explores its impact mechanism and heterogeneity.It is found that digital economy development increases urban-rural income inequality degree and there exists a“digital divide”that is not conducive to narrowing urban-rural income gap.The mechanism testing indicates that the“digital divide”effect is mainly caused by the widening gap between urban-rural education and employment opportunities as well as the uneven level of urbanization.The heterogeneity testing shows that the impact of digital economy development on urban-rural income gap is more significant in low-and middle-income areas,and the income gap widening has become more apparent since 2016.Besides,it is also found that this negative impact has spatial spillover effects,and digital economy development will widen the urban-rural income distribution gap in adjacent areas.Accordingly,such suggestions are proposed as enhancing urban-rural integration and development and actively promoting the improvement of labor’s digital skills so that the“digital dividend”of digital economy development can play its role in urban-rural coordinated development.