Evolution Logic and Governance Path of Vulnerability in Return-to-Hometown E-commerce Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Coastal Sub-center Cities in Guangdong

Abstract

With the deep integration of the "Digital Commerce for Agriculture" strategy and the Rural Revitalization strategy, return-to-hometown e-commerce entrepreneurship has become a core pathway for achieving human capital return and enhancing the quality and efficiency of the county economy in underdeveloped coastal areas of Guangdong. Shantou and Zhanjiang, as coastal sub-center cities in Guangdong, serve as core agglomeration hubs for return-to-hometown e-commerce entrepreneurship in eastern and western Guangdong, yet their entrepreneurial entities generally face vulnerability issues such as small scale, weak risk resilience, and short life cycles. Drawing on vulnerability theory, entrepreneurial process theory, and social capital theory, this paper constructs a "micro-meso-macro" three-dimensional analytical framework for the vulnerability of return-to-hometown e-commerce entrepreneurship. Based on enterprise information from the Aiqicha platform, we collected micro-level data of 1,742 e-commerce enterprises in Shantou and Zhanjiang, systematically analyzed the connotation, dimensions, and evolution logic of return-to-hometown e-commerce entrepreneurship vulnerability, empirically examined the current status and heterogeneity characteristics of entrepreneurial vulnerability in both cities, and ultimately proposed targeted governance pathways from three dimensions: subject empowerment, ecosystem optimization, and policy coordination. The research conclusions can provide theoretical references and empirical evidence for improving the support system for return-to-hometown digital entrepreneurship in underdeveloped coastal areas of Guangdong.