Taylor and Francis Group and Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Faculty of economics and tourism Dr. Mijo Mirković
Doi
Abstract
Digital financial inclusion (DFI) helps to narrow the income gap
between urban and rural areas, but path dependence may lead to
spatial agglomeration in the development of DFI, causing the spatial
effect on the urban–rural income gap. This study mainly examines
the mechanism and effect of DFI on the urban–rural income
gap in China, including its spatial effect issues. Results show that
China’s DFI has different impacts on the urban–rural income gap
in the east, central, and western regions, showing evident spatial
heterogeneity. In addition, the development of DFI has spatial
agglomeration, and its impact on China’s urban–rural income gap
also has a spatial spillover effect. Moreover, the spatial effect of
DFI is mainly because of the path dependence on the development
of traditional finance and digital technology. The spatial correlation
between them is transmitted to DFI, and the impact of
digital technology development is greater. Finally, corresponding
policy recommendations are proposed based on the conclusions