Author ORCID Identifier
Andi Cao: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0508-0834
Abstract
Rural entrepreneurship is a critical engine for rural economic revitalization. Although market linkage mechanisms are widely regarded as potential catalysts for entrepreneurial development, empirical evidence on the effects of specific forms of market linkage, particularly e-commerce distribution stations, remains limited. Using administrative village data from the Third National Agricultural Census of China, this study examines the impact of e-commerce distribution stations on village-level entrepreneurship and explores the underlying mechanisms. Employing a series of treatment effect models, the results show that the presence of e-commerce distribution stations significantly enhances entrepreneurial activity at the village level. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the marginal effects are more pronounced in central and western regions and in hilly and mountainous areas compared with eastern and plain regions. Moreover, higher education levels of village leaders strengthen the positive entrepreneurial effects of e-commerce distribution stations. Mechanism analysis further reveals that these stations promote entrepreneurship by fostering collective economic growth and alleviating elderly care burdens. Overall, this study highlights market linkage mechanisms as important drivers of rural economic development and underscores the need to expand e-commerce distribution stations in underdeveloped areas to support long-term regional prosperity.
Recommended Citation
Cao, A.,
&
Li, H.
(In press).
Digital Dawn in the Countryside: E-Commerce as a Catalyst for Entrepreneurship in Rural China.
Information Technology for Development.
Available at:
https://aisel.aisnet.org/itd/vol32/iss1/27