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China’s prefectural digital divide: Spatial analysis and multivariate determinants of ICT diffusion

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  • Song, Zhouying
  • Wang, Chen
  • Bergmann, Luke

Abstract

Much research has made efforts to elaborate upon different dimensions to the digital divide, including informational and communications technology (ICT) access, ICT usage, and ICT outcomes. We assess the utility of such perspectives for studying digital inequality across prefectural cities in China. China is the world's largest ICT market in terms of the number of mobile devices in use, internet users, and broadband subscriptions, yet it has notable digital inequality within and between provinces, prefectural cities, and counties. In this study, we built a conceptual framework of digital divides for prefectural cities in China, examined spatial agglomeration using cluster analysis, and explored the leading correlates using a geographically-weighted regression (GWR) model. A large digital divide among the prefectural cities in China was revealed, with cities with a high administrative level having a relatively high digital development index(DDI) score. Prefectural cities with high DDI levels are mainly agglomerated in large metropolitan areas, such as Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the West Coast Economic Zone of the Taiwan Straits. Prefectural cities with low DDI levels are concentrated in the rural-mountainous regions in southwest China and poverty-stricken areas in central and western China. This study also found that the leading determinants of the digital divide are urban residential income, the secondary education gross enrollment ratio, rural residential income, and the working age population ratio, which indicates that socio-economic problems, rather than institution and innovation aspects, have to be solved for improving ICT use and outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Song, Zhouying & Wang, Chen & Bergmann, Luke, 2020. "China’s prefectural digital divide: Spatial analysis and multivariate determinants of ICT diffusion," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ininma:v:52:y:2020:i:c:s0268401219301045
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102072
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Jianda & Dong, Xiucheng & Dong, Kangyin, 2022. "How digital industries affect China's carbon emissions? Analysis of the direct and indirect structural effects," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Liao, Shu-Chun & Chou, Tzu-Chuan & Huang, Chen-Hao, 2022. "Revisiting the development trajectory of the digital divide: A main path analysis approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    3. Amiri, Elham & Sangar, Amin Babazadeh, 2023. "Assessing the ICT development in Iranian cities: The strategy to accelerate digital advancement," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    4. Hermann Ndoya & Simplice A. Asongu, 2022. "Digital divide, globalization and income inequality in sub-Saharan African countries: analysing cross-country heterogeneity," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19, October.
    5. Ran, Qiying & Yang, Xiaodong & Yan, Hongchuan & Xu, Yang & Cao, Jianhong, 2023. "Natural resource consumption and industrial green transformation: Does the digital economy matter?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    6. Lythreatis, Sophie & Singh, Sanjay Kumar & El-Kassar, Abdul-Nasser, 2022. "The digital divide: A review and future research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    7. Ye, Lisha & Dai, Yishu & Dong, Xiaoying, 2022. "The enabling mechanism of shuren culture in ICT4D: A case study of rural China," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    8. Martínez-Domínguez, Marlen & Fierros-González, Isael, 2022. "Determinants of internet use by school-age children: The challenges for Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(1).
    9. Jun Wen & Hadi Hussain & Renai Jiang & Junaid Waheed, 2023. "Overcoming the Digital Divide With ICT Diffusion: Multivariate and Spatial Analysis at China’s Provincial Level," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440231, March.
    10. Ma, Ruiyang & Lin, Boqiang, 2023. "Digitalization and energy-saving and emission reduction in Chinese cities: Synergy between industrialization and digitalization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 345(C).

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