Digital Rural Governance and Its Impact on County-Level Farmer Income

Abstract

This study uses panel data from 275 counties in China between 2018 and 2020 and applies a two-way fixed effects model to examine how digital rural governance affects farmers’ income. The results show that digital rural development significantly increases farmers’ income, and this finding remains consistent after replacing the dependent variable. Based on these results, the paper suggests a phased policy rollout, strengthening support systems, encouraging industrial integration, developing evaluation frameworks, and enhancing digital inclusion to promote high-quality digital rural governance in support of rural revitalization and shared prosperity.