STRATEGIC INSIGHTS FOR UZBEKISTAN’S RURAL DIGITALIZATION: LESSONS FROM THE SPATIAL SPILLOVER EFFECTS OF CHINA’S DIGITAL ECONOMY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20839513Abstract
This paper evaluates the spatial spillover effects and underlying mechanisms of the digital
economy on rural revitalization. Empirically, the study utilizes panel data from 30 Chinese provinces covering
the period from 2015 to 2024. Methodologically, comprehensive indices are constructed using the entropy
weight method, while the research hypotheses are tested through Global Moran’s I, the Spatial Durbin Model
(SDM), and mediation effect models.
The empirical results indicate that the level of rural revitalization in China exhibits significant positive spatial
clustering. The digital economy generates a significant positive direct effect on local rural revitalization and
simultaneously produces a strong positive spatial spillover effect on neighboring regions, with the indirect effect
accounting for 46.7% of the total impact. Regional heterogeneity analysis reveals that the spatial spillover
effect is significantly stronger in the central and western regions than in the eastern coastal region. Industrial
structure upgrading, agricultural technological progress, and rural entrepreneurial vitality are identified as the
three principal transmission channels.
Based on these findings, tailored policy recommendations are proposed to support the ongoing
development of digital villages in Uzbekistan. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the application of
spatial network externality theory to the analysis of rural digital transformation in developing Central Asian
countries, the construction of a cross-regional digital dividend spillover model, and the quantitative assessment
of differentiated non-linear transmission pathways of digital economy factors
Keywords
digital economy, rural revitalization, spatial spillover, Spatial Durbin Model (SDM), scientific novelty, Uzbekistan.References
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