IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v77y2025ics1544612325003411.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Digital finance, social welfare investment, and urban–rural income inequality: Moderating role of regional economics and regional disparities

Author

Listed:
  • Liu, Yibo
  • Dong, Caisheng

Abstract

This study analyzes the impact of digital finance and social welfare investment on the urban–rural income gap using panel data from 31 Chinese provinces and municipalities from 2010 to 2022. Findings show that the development of digital finance positively affects closing the urban–rural income gap; however, increased social welfare investment exacerbates this imbalance. Regional economics moderates this process by influencing the relationship between social welfare investment and income inequality, and the impact of social welfare investment on the urban–rural income gap varies significantly among regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Yibo & Dong, Caisheng, 2025. "Digital finance, social welfare investment, and urban–rural income inequality: Moderating role of regional economics and regional disparities," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:77:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325003411
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2025.107077
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612325003411
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2025.107077?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Pengpeng Yue & Aslihan Gizem Korkmaz & Zhichao Yin & Haigang Zhou, 2022. "The rise of digital finance: Financial inclusion or debt trap," Papers 2201.09221, arXiv.org.
    2. Peterson K. Ozili, 2023. "Digital finance research and developments around the world: a literature review," International Journal of Business Forecasting and Marketing Intelligence, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 8(1), pages 35-51.
    3. Mu, Weiwei & Liu, Kefu & Tao, Yunqing & Ye, Yongwei, 2023. "Digital finance and corporate ESG," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    4. Du, Yanan & Wang, Qingxi & Zhou, Jianping, 2023. "How does digital inclusive finance affect economic resilience: Evidence from 285 cities in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    5. Zhou, Linjiang & Shi, Xiaochuan & Bao, Yaxiong & Gao, Lihua & Ma, Chao, 2023. "Explainable artificial intelligence for digital finance and consumption upgrading," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PC).
    6. Guo, Bingnan & Feng, Yu & Lin, Ji, 2023. "Digital inclusive finance and digital transformation of enterprises," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    7. Sapkota, Niranjan, 2022. "News-based sentiment and bitcoin volatility," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    8. Zhang, Xinyi & Wang, Tianqi & Chen, Yufan, 2024. "Does digital finance contribute to regional economic growth? Evidence from RCEP countries," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PB).
    9. Neville, Conor & Lucey, Brian M., 2022. "Financing Irish high-tech SMEs: The analysis of capital structure," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    10. Lu, Xiaomeng & Zhang, Xianjun & Guo, Jiaojiao & Yue, Pengpeng, 2024. "Digital finance era: Will individual investors become better players?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    11. Deepesh Ranabhat & Narinder Verma & Devesh Kumar & Hotniar Siringoringo, 2022. "The adoption of digital financial inclusion in developing countries: a systematic literature review," International Journal of Electronic Finance, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 11(2), pages 117-142.
    12. Wu, Jiaying & Xue, Yan & Zhang, Qian & Liu, Yang, 2024. "Digital economy, financial development, and corporate green technology innovation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    13. Lian, Xu & Mu, Yueying & Zhang, Wenyu, 2023. "Digital inclusive financial services and rural income: Evidence from China's major grain-producing regions," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    14. Sharif, Arshian & Aloui, Chaker & Yarovaya, Larisa, 2020. "COVID-19 pandemic, oil prices, stock market, geopolitical risk and policy uncertainty nexus in the US economy: Fresh evidence from the wavelet-based approach," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    15. Liu, Yang & Luan, Lin & Wu, Weilong & Zhang, Zhiqiang & Hsu, Yen, 2021. "Can digital financial inclusion promote China's economic growth?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    16. Chen, Yang & Yang, Shengping & Li, Quan, 2022. "How does the development of digital financial inclusion affect the total factor productivity of listed companies? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    17. Guo, Xingfang & Wei, Tao & Wang, Aiping & Hu, Haifeng, 2024. "Corporate governance effects of digital finance: Evidence from corporate tax avoidance in China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(PA).
    18. Yue, Pengpeng & Korkmaz, Aslihan Gizem & Yin, Zhichao & Zhou, Haigang, 2022. "The rise of digital finance: Financial inclusion or debt trap?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).
    19. Hao, Jing & Peng, Mengzu & He, Wenjia, 2023. "Digital finance development and bank liquidity creation," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    20. Ji, Qiang & Zhang, Dayong & Zhao, Yuqian, 2020. "Searching for safe-haven assets during the COVID-19 pandemic," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    21. David Mhlanga, 2020. "Industry 4.0 in Finance: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Digital Financial Inclusion," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-14, July.
    22. Yanru Li & Guanglin Sun & Qiang Gao & Changming Cheng, 2023. "Digital Financial Inclusion, Financial Efficiency and Green Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-13, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jiang, Ruichen & Wu, Qingtian, 2025. "Can digital inclusive finance narrow the internal and external wage gaps in enterprises?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Peng, Yan & Jin, Hao, 2025. "Effects of information and technology application in audits and digital economy on enterprise risk management level," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    3. Chen, Zhuo & Zhang, Jialu & Liu, Xiawei, 2025. "Encouraging entrepreneurship through digital inclusive finance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    4. Liu, Yuanyuan & Liu, Qianqian & Wei, Yanqiu, 2025. "Digital finance, internal control, and audit quality," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    5. Wei, Feiqiong & Xie, Baiwei & Chen, Mingyan, 2025. "Digital financial inclusion, e-commerce development and entrepreneurial activity," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    6. Wang, Peipei & Wang, Hongli, 2025. "Can digital financial development improve the accuracy of corporate earnings forecasts," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    7. Wu, Yanxia & Zhang, Jie, 2025. "Digital inclusive finance and rural households’ economic resilience," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    8. Guo, Xiaoxu & Wang, Yihan, 2025. "Effects of digital finance on enterprise total factor productivity: Evidence from the perspective of innovation level," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    9. Gao, Jiwen & Li, Hao & Zhang, Didi, 2025. "Exploring the mechanisms and regional variations in how digital financial inclusion drives high-quality real economic development across China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    10. Fang, Yinhai & Liu, Zhihui, 2025. "Can digital finance enhance enterprise research and development innovation? The mediating role of dual consumption behavior transformation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    11. Gao, Qiang & Sun, Mengyuan & Chen, Lu, 2024. "The impact of digital inclusive finance on agricultural economic resilience," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    12. Yang, Yuelin, 2025. "The development of digital finance and the crime rate of theft," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    13. Zhang, Xinyu & Liu, Yixuan & Yu, Shaoze & Lin, Ouwen & Meng, Lu, 2025. "Impact of environmental protection tax on enterprise digital transformation: Evidence from Chinese listed firms," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    14. Cui, Kai & Yang, Wen, 2025. "The digital economy and the resilience of enterprise exports: Supply chain stability as a mediator," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    15. Song, Yi & Zhang, Rui & Hao, Yuqing, 2025. "Digital economy, labor force transfer, and high-quality agricultural development," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    16. Liao, Hongji & Zhang, Jiarui & Gong, Runze & Zhang, Wen, 2025. "The mitigating effect of digital inclusive finance development on urban environmental pollution: Insights from innovation capacity and financing constraints," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    17. Dong, Li & Zhu, Xiaowei & Yang, Luwei & Jiang, Guoliang, 2025. "Unleashing the power of data element markets: Driving urban green growth through marketization, innovation, and digital finance," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    18. He, Yiqi & Hou, Yuxuan & Song, Xinyi & Chen, Xi, 2025. "Local government debt, digital finance and climate change: Study from the perspective of green innovation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    19. Lyu, Jiayu & Li, Lu & Liu, Yuqi & Deng, Qian, 2025. "Promoting common prosperity: How do digital capability and financial literacy matter?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    20. Liu, Dongming & Tu, Yongqian & Chen, Zhangzhang & Zheng, Yinglong, 2025. "Analysis of the synergistic effect of digital financial inclusion and social security on crime governance based on regional differences," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:77:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325003411. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/frl .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.