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E-commerce as a catalyst? Unpacking the link between rural revitalization and agricultural investment

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Hong
  • Zhou, Jiaxin
  • Qiao, Haixiang
  • Cui, Guanjun

Abstract

Promoting agricultural investment is essential for reducing rural inequality and ensuring food security in developing countries. This study evaluates how China’s Rural Revitalization Strategy (RRS) shapes farm household investment in productive agricultural assets, with attention to digital infrastructure and rural e-commerce. Using panel data from the China Family Panel Studies and a two-way fixed effects model, we find that RRS substantially increases investment in agricultural machinery. Internet use partially mediates this relationship by improving market access and information flow, whereas self-employment exerts a negative mediating effect, likely due to resource shifts toward nonagricultural activities. E-commerce development, through both spatial clustering and transaction scale, further strengthens policy impacts. These results underscore the value of integrating digital infrastructure and entrepreneurship into rural development strategies and offer guidance for policy design in comparable developing contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Hong & Zhou, Jiaxin & Qiao, Haixiang & Cui, Guanjun, 2026. "E-commerce as a catalyst? Unpacking the link between rural revitalization and agricultural investment," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:91:y:2026:i:c:s1544612325026789
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2025.109429
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