Research on the Evaluation of China’s Digital Development Level Based on the CRITIC Method

本研究针对中国省级数字化发展水平的空间分布特征，构建了涵盖数字基础环境、数字产业化与产业数字化三个维度的综合评估体系，运用CRITIC法对2023年全国30个省份进行实证分析。研究发现：中国数字化发展水平呈现显著梯度分异，东部沿海地区依托数字产业集群、新型基建投入与人才集聚优势形成增长极，西部呈现非均衡追赶态势。研究进一步揭示区域差异的三重成因，主要是产业链拓扑演进机制、政策能级梯度传导及要素黏性差异。基于此，提出“跨区域人才协同培育”“产业链梯度跃升”及“风险共担机制”三大策略，推动数字化发展从非均衡向协同发展范式转变。This study focuses on the spatial distribution characteristics of China’s provincial digital development level, constructing a comprehensive evaluation system covering three dimensions: digital infrastructure environment, digital industrialization, and industrial digitization. An empirical analysis of 30 provinces nationwide in 2023 was conducted using the CRITIC method. The study finds that China’s digital development level exhibits significant gradient differentiation: eastern coastal regions have formed growth poles relying on digital industry clusters, new infrastructure investment, and talent aggregation advantages, while western regions show an unbalanced catching-up trend. The research further reveals three major causes of regional disparities: the topological evolution mechanism of industrial chains, the gradient transmission of policy capacities, and differences in factor stickiness. Based on this, three strategies are proposed—“cross-regional collaborative talent cultivation,” “gradient upgrading of industrial chains,” and “risk-sharing mechanisms”—to promote the transformation of digital development from an unbalanced to a collaborative development paradigm.