Research on coupling coordinated development of rural digital economy and human settlement

【Objective】This study aimed to clarify the development level， grade， and obstacle factors of coupling coordination between the rural digital economy and the human settlement in China， providing a new theoretical perspective for digital rural governance and a reference for advancing the in-depth implementation of comprehensive rural revitalization strategy.【Method】Based on the panel data of 30 provincial administrative regions in China from 2014 to 2022 （excluding Xizang， Hong Kong， Macao， and Taiwan due to data unavailability）， an evaluation index system for the rural digital economy and human settlement was established. The entropy method was adopted to measure the rural digital economy level and human settlement quality of all provincial administrative regions over the years. The coupling coordination degree model was employed to calculate the coupling coordination degree between the two systems and determine their coordination grade and coordinated development stages. Furthermore， the σ-convergence， absolute β-convergence， and conditional β-convergence models were used to test and analyze the convergence of coordinated development level between rural digital economy and human settlement among provincial administrative regions. Then an obstacle degree model was established to identify the obstacle factors affecting the coupling coordinated development.【Result】The evalua-tion index of China’s rural digital economy ranged from 0.135 to 0.280， and the evaluation index of rural human settlement quality ranged from 0.218 to 0.272， both showing a continuous upward trend. The average comprehensive development index of China’s rural digital economy and rural human settlement ranged from 0.177 to 0.276， and the average coupling degree ranged from 0.483 to 0.490， which was in the antagonistic coupling stage. The average coupling coordination degree was in the range of 0.278-0.361， and the coupling coordination level evolved from moderate maladjustment to mild maladjustment. The coupling coordination degree between rural digital economy and human settlement in China exhibited σ-convergence， absolute β-convergence， and conditional β-convergence simultaneously. Moreover， the catch-up effects of provincial administrative regions with lower coupling coordination degree toward those with higher coupling coordination degree were affected dually the level of agricultural modernization and fiscal support for agriculture. Human settlement infrastructure， human cultural settlement， and industrial digitalization were the main obstacle subsystems affecting the coupling coordinated development between China’s rural digital economy and human settlement. The main obstacle factors included digital transaction of agricultural products， the number of adult cultural and technical training schools per 10000 people in rural areas， per capita electricity consumption in rural areas， and the number of rural domestic waste transfer stations per 10000 people. 【Suggestion】It is recommended to deeply tap into the potential of digital technology， implement policies based on local conditions to strengthen key weak links， and enhance the construction of the cultural and education system， thus promoting the coordinated development between rural digital economy and human settlement， and further enhancing the comprehensive rural revitalization in China.