The Positive Impact of the Digital Economy on the Coordinated Development of the Rural Economy–Environment: Evidence from China

The coordinated development of the rural economy and the ecological environment remains a central challenge in China’s rural revitalization agenda. Against this backdrop, the rapid expansion of the digital economy (DE) has the potential to reshape traditional development pathways and ease the longstanding tension between economic growth and environmental sustainability. However, existing studies have predominantly examined the economic or environmental effects of digitalization in isolation, leaving its role in fostering their coordinated development largely unexplored. Using balanced panel data for 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2021, this paper constructs an index of the coupling coordinated development of the rural economy–environment (CREE) and employs a two-way fixed-effects framework, complemented by mediation analysis, panel threshold regression, and a spatial Durbin model, to examine the impact of the DE on CREE and its transmission mechanisms. The results show that the DE significantly enhances CREE on average. This positive effect, however, is non-linear and conditional: it emerges only after rural educational attainment exceeds a critical threshold, and its marginal contribution diminishes as the level of digital development increases. Mechanism analyses indicate that the DE promotes CREE primarily by stimulating technological innovation and advancing urbanization, while improvements in the structure of human capital further strengthen this relationship. Spatial econometric evidence reveals pronounced spillover effects of the DE on CREE across regions, with spillovers based on economic distance outweighing those associated with geographic proximity. By adopting a coupling perspective that integrates economic and environmental dimensions, this paper clarifies the non-linear dynamics, transmission channels, and spatial diffusion processes through which the DE contributes to rural green development. The findings underscore the importance of strengthening rural education foundations, deepening the application of digital technologies, and enhancing regional coordination to fully harness the DE’s role in promoting coordinated economy–environment development.