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Spatiotemporal Distribution and Regional Imbalance of China’s Digital Economy

Author

Listed:
  • Ruina Fan

    (Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning (CAEP), Beijing 100041, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Chong Nie

    (Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Yuanhao Zhao

    (Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning (CAEP), Beijing 100041, China)

  • Chunxu Hao

    (Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning (CAEP), Beijing 100041, China)

  • Chen Peng

    (Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning (CAEP), Beijing 100041, China)

Abstract

The digital economy is an important driving force for promoting national economic growth and achieving high-quality economic transformation, and is a key force in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs). This paper measures the digital economy development level of 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2021 utilizing the entropy of weighting approach, and in order to further reveal its intrinsic laws and differences, it uses three-dimensional kernel density analysis, the Dagum Gini coefficient, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and cold hot spot analysis to explore the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of the digital economy and its regional imbalance. The empirical results show that ① China’s digital economy has been steadily increasing, spatially showing the characteristics of gradual decrease from east to west and from coast to inland, with obvious spatial agglomeration characteristics and an increasing trend. ② There are obvious regional imbalances in the digital economy, with the southeast coastal region leading significantly. ③ The overall regional differences are large but reduced, mainly from intra-regional differences, the and inter-regional contribution is low. The research in this paper provides data support for revealing the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of digital economic development and provides new path support for the balanced development of China’s regional digital economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruina Fan & Chong Nie & Yuanhao Zhao & Chunxu Hao & Chen Peng, 2024. "Spatiotemporal Distribution and Regional Imbalance of China’s Digital Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-21, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:16:p:6738-:d:1451182
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jiang Lu & Soo Cheng Chuah & Chai Li Cheam, 2026. "Coupling and coordination of the digital economy and rural revitalisation in north–west China: a panel analysis from 2009 to 2023," Asia-Pacific Journal of Regional Science, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 1-49, March.

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