Evaluating the coordinated development between digital technology and local safety management capability: evidence from 31 provinces in China

The enhancement of local safety management capabilities through digital technology represents a pivotal strategy for implementing Peaceful China Initiative. However, limited research exists on whether these capabilities can establish a coordinated development relationship with digital technologies and the factors influencing this relationship. This paper employs the concept of coordinated development to establish an analytical framework termed ‘Feasibility-Suitability-Sustainability,’ which is utilized to identify indicators for measuring the relationship between the two variables. Using panel data from China mainland, this study evaluates the relationship. The findings indicate that the overall level of coordinated development between digital technologies and local safety management capabilities in China mainland has been increasing during the period from 2018 to 2022. Nonetheless, certain provinces, particularly in the western regions, such as Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai province, and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, encounter significant challenges in achieving high coordination between digital technologies and local safety management capabilities. Key factors contributing to these challenges include a lack of innovative potential in local safety management and insufficient trust in digital technologies among citizens. The research results contribute a novel explanatory framework to coordinated development theory and offer practical guidance for local government digitalization and public safety enhancement.