The Impact of Digitalization of the Economy on High-Quality Economic Development in Chongqing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/phxcxj06Keywords:
Digital Economy, High-Quality Development, Chongqing Municipality, Urban–Rural Difference, City-level New AreasAbstract
The rapid rate of digital innovation has helped drive economic growth. For Chinese authorities, a key policy question is whether and how economic digitalization can promote equitable resource distribution and high-quality development. Using longitudinal data from 2011 to 2020 for Chongqing’s 38 administrative units, this study applies the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method to measure the regional economic quality index. Regional variation analysis reveals that digitalization significantly improves economic quality and reshapes the economic landscape. Mechanism analysis shows that advancing digitalization drives superior development by enhancing fundamental infrastructure investment and stimulating innovation capacity. We also show that differences in progress stages and income distribution between urban and rural areas mediate the way in which the level of digitalization affects the quality of economic development. The findings demonstrate that digitalization is crucial for Chongqing’s pursuit of superior development outcomes. In the face of changing economic conditions, we should realize the importance of ensuring substantially greater compatibility between regional economic policy frameworks and digital transformation while also trying to shift focus from physical spatial planning to building digital ecosystems. These approaches can help sustain the ongoing benefits of digital technology while also supporting high-quality economic development.
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