The impact of the digital economy on the urban-rural income gap: evidence from provincial panel data in China

This paper analysed the impact of the digital economy on the urban-rural income gap. The results reveal that the development of the digital economy has significantly narrowed the urban-rural income gap in China. The level of urbanization and the upgrading of industrial structure are the important influencing mechanisms, which means that the digital economy can narrow the urban-rural income gap by elevating the level of urbanization and promoting the upgrading of industrial structure.