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Exploring the coupling coordination relationship and obstacle factors of rural revitalization, new-type urbanization, and digital economy in China

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  • Yajun Ma
  • Zhengyong Yu
  • Wei Liu
  • Qiang Ren

Abstract

The digital economy injects new vitality into rural revitalization and new-type urbanization to achieve rural industrial transformation, while the countryside and the city provide the soil for the development of the digital economy. This research establishes the rural revitalization (RR), new-type urbanization (NU), and digital economy (DE) system and uses the coupled coordination degree (CCD) model and obstacle degree (OD) model to study the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and obstacle factors of the composite system in China from 2011 to 2021. The result showed that: (1) the comprehensive development level of the composite systems is on an upward trend year by year, but still shows a low-quality state; (2) the CCD of China’s provinces shows a spatial evolution pattern of high in the east and low in the west; (3) The obstacle factors of the RR, NU, DE subsystem are mainly involved the number of rural doctors and health workers, local financial income per capita and science and technology expenditure, and the digital finance coverage breadth index. These results suggested that Strengthening the synergy between China’s urban-rural integrated development and digital construction in the future hinges upon providing valuable decision-making insights to facilitate the pursuit of regionally differentiated development and the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Yajun Ma & Zhengyong Yu & Wei Liu & Qiang Ren, 2025. "Exploring the coupling coordination relationship and obstacle factors of rural revitalization, new-type urbanization, and digital economy in China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(1), pages 1-30, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0313125
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313125
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