Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction

Weizhe Zhong

doi:doi:10.11648/j.si.20251306.17

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Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction

Weizhe Zhong^*

Published in Science Innovation (Volume 13, Issue 6)

Received: 27 October 2025 Accepted: 1 December 2025 Published: 24 December 2025

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Abstract

As the core of China's development in the digital era, digital infrastructure has achieved leapfrog development and rapid nationwide coverage through robust policy support and capital investment since the implementation of the "Broadband China" policy. However, whether digital infrastructure plays a positive role in urban-rural development and how such a role is realized have been issues of concern to various stakeholders. To scientifically investigate these questions, this paper analyzes the impact of digital infrastructure on the urban-rural income gap by utilizing data on the urban-rural income disparity across 290 prefecture-level cities in China from 2010 to 2020, and constructing a quasi-natural experiment with the release of the "Broadband China" policy during 2014-2016 as an exogenous shock. The study finds that: digital infrastructure construction widens the urban-rural income gap; mediation tests reveal that digital infrastructure further expands the urban-rural income gap through industrial structure; and spatial econometric tests indicate that due to the digital "siphon effect", digital infrastructure construction leads to the expansion of regional urban-rural income disparities. Based on the above findings, this paper proposes optimization pathways including balancing urban-rural digital infrastructure investment, strengthening rural industrial upgrading, and establishing urban-rural coordinated development mechanisms, aiming to provide theoretical support and policy implications for fully leveraging the role of digital infrastructure construction in driving China's urban-rural development.

Published in	Science Innovation (Volume 13, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.si.20251306.17
Page(s)	177-184
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Digital Infrastructure, Urban-rural Residents' Income Gap, Broadband China, Difference-in-Differences Method

References

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Zhong, W. (2025). Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction. Science Innovation, 13(6), 177-184. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.si.20251306.17

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ACS Style

Zhong, W. Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction. Sci. Innov. 2025, 13(6), 177-184. doi: 10.11648/j.si.20251306.17

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AMA Style

Zhong W. Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction. Sci Innov. 2025;13(6):177-184. doi: 10.11648/j.si.20251306.17

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@article{10.11648/j.si.20251306.17,
  author = {Weizhe Zhong},
  title = {Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction
},
  journal = {Science Innovation},
  volume = {13},
  number = {6},
  pages = {177-184},
  doi = {10.11648/j.si.20251306.17},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.si.20251306.17},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.si.20251306.17},
  abstract = {As the core of China's development in the digital era, digital infrastructure has achieved leapfrog development and rapid nationwide coverage through robust policy support and capital investment since the implementation of the "Broadband China" policy. However, whether digital infrastructure plays a positive role in urban-rural development and how such a role is realized have been issues of concern to various stakeholders. To scientifically investigate these questions, this paper analyzes the impact of digital infrastructure on the urban-rural income gap by utilizing data on the urban-rural income disparity across 290 prefecture-level cities in China from 2010 to 2020, and constructing a quasi-natural experiment with the release of the "Broadband China" policy during 2014-2016 as an exogenous shock. The study finds that: digital infrastructure construction widens the urban-rural income gap; mediation tests reveal that digital infrastructure further expands the urban-rural income gap through industrial structure; and spatial econometric tests indicate that due to the digital "siphon effect", digital infrastructure construction leads to the expansion of regional urban-rural income disparities. Based on the above findings, this paper proposes optimization pathways including balancing urban-rural digital infrastructure investment, strengthening rural industrial upgrading, and establishing urban-rural coordinated development mechanisms, aiming to provide theoretical support and policy implications for fully leveraging the role of digital infrastructure construction in driving China's urban-rural development.
},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction

AU  - Weizhe Zhong
Y1  - 2025/12/24
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.si.20251306.17
DO  - 10.11648/j.si.20251306.17
T2  - Science Innovation
JF  - Science Innovation
JO  - Science Innovation
SP  - 177
EP  - 184
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-787X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.si.20251306.17
AB  - As the core of China's development in the digital era, digital infrastructure has achieved leapfrog development and rapid nationwide coverage through robust policy support and capital investment since the implementation of the "Broadband China" policy. However, whether digital infrastructure plays a positive role in urban-rural development and how such a role is realized have been issues of concern to various stakeholders. To scientifically investigate these questions, this paper analyzes the impact of digital infrastructure on the urban-rural income gap by utilizing data on the urban-rural income disparity across 290 prefecture-level cities in China from 2010 to 2020, and constructing a quasi-natural experiment with the release of the "Broadband China" policy during 2014-2016 as an exogenous shock. The study finds that: digital infrastructure construction widens the urban-rural income gap; mediation tests reveal that digital infrastructure further expands the urban-rural income gap through industrial structure; and spatial econometric tests indicate that due to the digital "siphon effect", digital infrastructure construction leads to the expansion of regional urban-rural income disparities. Based on the above findings, this paper proposes optimization pathways including balancing urban-rural digital infrastructure investment, strengthening rural industrial upgrading, and establishing urban-rural coordinated development mechanisms, aiming to provide theoretical support and policy implications for fully leveraging the role of digital infrastructure construction in driving China's urban-rural development.

VL  - 13
IS  - 6
ER  -

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Weizhe Zhong

School of Economics and Trade, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China

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Zhong, W. (2025). Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction. Science Innovation, 13(6), 177-184. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.si.20251306.17

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ACS Style

Zhong, W. Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction. Sci. Innov. 2025, 13(6), 177-184. doi: 10.11648/j.si.20251306.17

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AMA Style

Zhong W. Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction. Sci Innov. 2025;13(6):177-184. doi: 10.11648/j.si.20251306.17

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.si.20251306.17,
  author = {Weizhe Zhong},
  title = {Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction
},
  journal = {Science Innovation},
  volume = {13},
  number = {6},
  pages = {177-184},
  doi = {10.11648/j.si.20251306.17},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.si.20251306.17},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.si.20251306.17},
  abstract = {As the core of China's development in the digital era, digital infrastructure has achieved leapfrog development and rapid nationwide coverage through robust policy support and capital investment since the implementation of the "Broadband China" policy. However, whether digital infrastructure plays a positive role in urban-rural development and how such a role is realized have been issues of concern to various stakeholders. To scientifically investigate these questions, this paper analyzes the impact of digital infrastructure on the urban-rural income gap by utilizing data on the urban-rural income disparity across 290 prefecture-level cities in China from 2010 to 2020, and constructing a quasi-natural experiment with the release of the "Broadband China" policy during 2014-2016 as an exogenous shock. The study finds that: digital infrastructure construction widens the urban-rural income gap; mediation tests reveal that digital infrastructure further expands the urban-rural income gap through industrial structure; and spatial econometric tests indicate that due to the digital "siphon effect", digital infrastructure construction leads to the expansion of regional urban-rural income disparities. Based on the above findings, this paper proposes optimization pathways including balancing urban-rural digital infrastructure investment, strengthening rural industrial upgrading, and establishing urban-rural coordinated development mechanisms, aiming to provide theoretical support and policy implications for fully leveraging the role of digital infrastructure construction in driving China's urban-rural development.
},
 year = {2025}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Reversal of Policy Expectations: Unexpected Intensification of Urban-Rural Income Inequality in Digital Infrastructure Construction

AU  - Weizhe Zhong
Y1  - 2025/12/24
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.si.20251306.17
DO  - 10.11648/j.si.20251306.17
T2  - Science Innovation
JF  - Science Innovation
JO  - Science Innovation
SP  - 177
EP  - 184
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2328-787X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.si.20251306.17
AB  - As the core of China's development in the digital era, digital infrastructure has achieved leapfrog development and rapid nationwide coverage through robust policy support and capital investment since the implementation of the "Broadband China" policy. However, whether digital infrastructure plays a positive role in urban-rural development and how such a role is realized have been issues of concern to various stakeholders. To scientifically investigate these questions, this paper analyzes the impact of digital infrastructure on the urban-rural income gap by utilizing data on the urban-rural income disparity across 290 prefecture-level cities in China from 2010 to 2020, and constructing a quasi-natural experiment with the release of the "Broadband China" policy during 2014-2016 as an exogenous shock. The study finds that: digital infrastructure construction widens the urban-rural income gap; mediation tests reveal that digital infrastructure further expands the urban-rural income gap through industrial structure; and spatial econometric tests indicate that due to the digital "siphon effect", digital infrastructure construction leads to the expansion of regional urban-rural income disparities. Based on the above findings, this paper proposes optimization pathways including balancing urban-rural digital infrastructure investment, strengthening rural industrial upgrading, and establishing urban-rural coordinated development mechanisms, aiming to provide theoretical support and policy implications for fully leveraging the role of digital infrastructure construction in driving China's urban-rural development.

VL  - 13
IS  - 6
ER  -

Copy | Download