IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jmathe/v12y2024i14p2171-d1432960.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A New Framework, Measurement, and Determinants of the Digital Divide in China

Author

Listed:
  • Yuanren Zhou

    (School of Statistics and Mathematics, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing 102206, China)

  • Menggen Chen

    (School of Statistics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

  • Xiaojie Liu

    (College of Science, North China University of Technology, Beijing 100144, China)

  • Yun Chen

    (College of Science, North China University of Technology, Beijing 100144, China)

Abstract

The digital divide (DD) reflects the inequality of the digital economy, while existing research lacks a comprehensive framework for investigating the measurement of DD and its determinants. This study constructs a new framework with a five-dimensional comprehensive index system. City-level data are used to measure China’s DD index from 2010 to 2020 at the national, regional, and provincial levels. Furthermore, this study investigates the decomposition of DD at both regional and provincial levels and the determinants of DD from the perspectives of physical, human, and social capital. The key results are: (1) China’s DD has generally exhibited a fluctuating downward trend. While it remains high in the eastern and western regions, it has shown a decline year by year. However, the DD within most provinces is on the rise. (2) The intra-regional and inter-provincial are the primary drivers of changes in national DD, with both intra-regional and intra-provincial contribution rates on the rise. (3) Economic growth, infrastructure, foreign trade, education, and online interaction significantly impact DD, and these determinants may change at different periods. This study intends to provide empirical support for bridging the DD, fostering the balanced development of the digital economy, and reducing social inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuanren Zhou & Menggen Chen & Xiaojie Liu & Yun Chen, 2024. "A New Framework, Measurement, and Determinants of the Digital Divide in China," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-30, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jmathe:v:12:y:2024:i:14:p:2171-:d:1432960
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/12/14/2171/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/12/14/2171/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Menzie D. Chinn & Robert W. Fairlie, 2007. "The determinants of the global digital divide: a cross-country analysis of computer and internet penetration," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 59(1), pages 16-44, January.
    2. Bruno, Giuseppe & Diglio, Antonio & Piccolo, Carmela & Pipicelli, Eduardo, 2023. "A reduced Composite Indicator for Digital Divide measurement at the regional level: An application to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI)," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    3. Barrios, Salvador & Strobl, Eric, 2009. "The dynamics of regional inequalities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 575-591, September.
    4. Pierre Montagnier & Albrecht Wirthmann, 2011. "Digital Divide: From Computer Access to Online Activities – A Micro Data Analysis," OECD Digital Economy Papers 189, OECD Publishing.
    5. Jenny C. Aker & Isaac M. Mbiti, 2010. "Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Africa," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 24(3), pages 207-232, Summer.
    6. Goldfarb, Avi & Prince, Jeff, 2008. "Internet adoption and usage patterns are different: Implications for the digital divide," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 2-15, March.
    7. Pick, James B. & Sarkar, Avijit & Johnson, Jeremy, 2015. "United States digital divide: State level analysis of spatial clustering and multivariate determinants of ICT utilization," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 16-32.
    8. Pick, James B. & Nishida, Tetsushi, 2015. "Digital divides in the world and its regions: A spatial and multivariate analysis of technological utilization," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 1-17.
    9. Szeles, Monica Răileanu, 2018. "New insights from a multilevel approach to the regional digital divide in the European Union," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(6), pages 452-463.
    10. Kwok-Kee Wei & Hock-Hai Teo & Hock Chuan Chan & Bernard C. Y. Tan, 2011. "Conceptualizing and Testing a Social Cognitive Model of the Digital Divide," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 170-187, March.
    11. Wanglin Ma & Peng Nie & Pei Zhang & Alan Renwick, 2020. "Impact of Internet use on economic well‐being of rural households: Evidence from China," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 503-523, May.
    12. Mohammad Afshar Ali & Khorshed Alam & Brad Taylor, 2020. "Do social exclusion and remoteness explain the digital divide in Australia? Evidence from a panel data estimation approach," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(6), pages 643-659, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Waqas Shair & Muhammad Tayyab & Sumaira Nawaz & Kanza Amjad, 2023. "Digital Divide In Pakistan: Barriers To Ict Adoption," Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 12(2), pages 243-252.
    2. Srinuan, Chalita & Bohlin, Erik, 2013. "Analysis of fixed broadband access and use in Thailand: Drivers and barriers," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 615-625.
    3. Myovella, Godwin & Karacuka, Mehmet & Haucap, Justus, 2021. "Determinants of digitalization and digital divide in Sub-Saharan African economies: A spatial Durbin analysis," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(10).
    4. Thierry PENARD & Nicolas POUSSING & Gabriel ZOMO YEBE & Philémon NSI ELLA, 2012. "Comparing the Determinants of Internet and Cell Phone Use in Africa: Evidence from Gabon," Communications & Strategies, IDATE, Com&Strat dept., vol. 1(86), pages 65-83, 2nd quart.
    5. Szeles, Monica Răileanu, 2018. "New insights from a multilevel approach to the regional digital divide in the European Union," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(6), pages 452-463.
    6. Zhongkun Zhu & Wanglin Ma & Chenxin Leng, 2022. "ICT Adoption, Individual Income and Psychological Health of Rural Farmers in China," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(1), pages 71-91, February.
    7. PENARD Thierry & POUSSING Nicolas & ZOMO YEBE Gabriel & NSI ELLA Philémon, 2012. "Usage d'Internet et du téléphone mobile en Afrique : une comparaison des déterminants d'adoption sur données gabonaises," LISER Working Paper Series 2012-15, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    8. M Vimalkumar & Jang Bahadur Singh & Sujeet Kumar Sharma, 0. "Exploring the Multi-Level Digital Divide in Mobile Phone Adoption: A Comparison of Developing Nations," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-20.
    9. Zhouying Song & Tao Song & Yu Yang & Zhenbo Wang, 2019. "RETRACTED: Spatial–Temporal Characteristics and Determinants of Digital Divide in China: A Multivariate Spatial Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1, August.
    10. M Vimalkumar & Jang Bahadur Singh & Sujeet Kumar Sharma, 2021. "Exploring the Multi-Level Digital Divide in Mobile Phone Adoption: A Comparison of Developing Nations," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 1057-1076, August.
    11. Bulman, George & Fairlie, Robert W, 2015. "Technology and Education: Computers, Software, and the Internet," Santa Cruz Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt5265z87t, Department of Economics, UC Santa Cruz.
    12. Cariolle, Joël, 2021. "International connectivity and the digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    13. 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.
    14. Kai-Lung Hui & I. P. L. Png, 2015. "Research Note—Migration of Service to the Internet: Evidence from a Federal Natural Experiment," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 26(3), pages 606-618, September.
    15. 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.
    16. Mathilde Aubouin, 2023. "Determinants of the Digital Divide: Evidence from France," Annals of Economics and Statistics, GENES, issue 151, pages 37-80.
    17. Dohse, Dirk & Lim, Cheng Yee, 2016. "Macro-geographic location and internet adoption in poor countries: What is behind the persistent digital gap?," Kiel Working Papers 2067, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    18. Holden, Stein T. & Tilahun, Mesfin, 2021. "Mobile phones, leadership and gender in rural business groups," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 24(C).
    19. Behice CANATAN & Gökhan ÖZBİLGE & Egemen İPEK, 2023. "A Socioeconomic Analysis in Terms of Household Digital Technology Ownership," Sosyoekonomi Journal, Sosyoekonomi Society, issue 31(56).
    20. Penard, Thierry & Poussing, Nicolas & Mukoko, Blaise & Tamokwe Piaptie, Georges Bertrand, 2015. "Internet adoption and usage patterns in Africa: Evidence from Cameroon," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 71-80.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jmathe:v:12:y:2024:i:14:p:2171-:d:1432960. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.