Research on the Impact of Digital Inclusive Finance on Rural Common Prosperity

This study, based on panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2021, systematically examines the impact mechanism of digital inclusive finance on rural common prosperity using fixed effects models, threshold regression, and instrumental variable methods. The research finds that: (1) Digital inclusive finance alleviates credit constraints and promotes the diffusion of digital technology, leading to an annual average income growth of approximately 12.7% for rural households, while reducing the urban-rural income ratio from 2.71 to 2.43; (2) There is a significant dual threshold effect, where the income-increasing effect of digital inclusive finance is enhanced by 23% and 41% when the regional internet penetration rate surpasses the critical values of 58% and 72%, respectively; (3) It presents a diminishing marginal effect characteristic, where for every 1 unit increase in the coverage breadth index, the income growth effect in underdeveloped areas (0.18%) is significantly higher than that in developed areas (0.07%); (4) In the public service sector, every 10% increase in mobile payment penetration can improve the accessibility of rural medical/educational resources by 4.2 to 5.8 percentage points. The study suggests that policy implementation should consider regional differences in digital infrastructure, with a focus on strengthening investments in 5G networks and digital skills training in the central and western regions.