Can Rural Road Network Density Promote Inclusive Regional Growth? Evidence from China’s County-Level Panel Data

Persistent urban–rural inequality remains a major challenge for sustainable regional development, especially in countries where rural communities still face limited access to markets, employment, and public services. This study examines whether rural road network density promotes inclusive regional growth in China. Using county-level panel data from 2013 to 2024, we construct an inclusive regional growth index that combines economic output, nighttime-light-measured economic activity, rural income, and the urban–rural income gap. rural road network density is measured by the length of county, township, and village roads per 100 square kilometers. Two-way fixed-effects models, mechanism tests, robustness checks, instrumental-variable estimation, and heterogeneity analysis are employed. The results show that rural road network density significantly improves inclusive regional growth. Dimensional analysis indicates that higher rural road network density increases real GDP per capita, strengthens nighttime-light-measured economic activity, raises rural income, and reduces the urban–rural income gap. Mechanism analysis shows that these effects operate through labor mobility, market access, and non-agricultural industrial development. The results remain robust to alternative road measures, lagged specifications, outlier treatment, sample restrictions, and instrumental-variable estimation. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that the effects are larger in central-western counties, low-accessibility counties, and less-developed counties. These findings suggest that rural road network density is not only a transport infrastructure indicator but also a key spatial condition for promoting sustainable and inclusive regional development.