In recent years, digital inclusive finance, as a new financial model, is rapidly gaining popularity globally, providing a new development path for traditional financial services, while the urban-rural income gap is not only related to social equity and stability, but also directly affects the country's overall level of economic development. As an innovative financial service model, digital inclusive finance has the potential to narrow the urban-rural income gap and promote coordinated urban-rural development. In view of this, this paper takes China's macroeconomic data of the past ten years as the research object in order to deeply study the impact of the development of digital inclusive finance on China's urban-rural income gap. By collecting panel data from 31 provinces, cities and autonomous regions in China from 2011 to 2022 and conducting empirical analyses, the following conclusions can be drawn: (1) the development of digital inclusive finance can effectively reduce the urban-rural income gap; (2) the impact of digital inclusive finance on the urban-rural income gap varies in different dimensions that constitute the digital inclusive financial system; (3) the impact of digital inclusive finance on the urban-rural income gap varies in different regions.

Wenjing Liang. Research on the Impact of Digital Inclusive Financial Development on the Urban-Rural Income Gap in China. International Journal of Frontiers in Sociology (2024), Vol. 6, Issue 10: 53-60. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFS.2024.061008.

[1] Yin Zhentao, Shu Kaitong. Models, problems and countermeasures for the development of inclusive finance in China [J]. Economic Perspectives, 2016(01): 103-107.

[2] Cui Haiyan. Habit formation and consumption behavior of Chinese urban and rural residents [D]. Shanxi: Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, 2012.

[3] Sun Yang. Research on the impact of digital inclusive finance on farmers’ income in Sichuan Province [D]. Shanxi: Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, 2024.

[4] Global Partnership on Financial Inclusion(GPFI).Global Standard-Setting Bodies and Financial Inclusion—The Evolving Landscape[R].Hangzhou:G20,2016.

[5] Manyika J, Lund S, Singer M. Digital Finance for All: Powering Inclusive Growth in Emerging Economies [J]. America: Mckinsey Global Institute,2016.

[6] Ma Yan. Research on the impact of the development of digital inclusive finance on the urban-rural income gap [D]. Shaanxi: Xi'an University of Posts and Telecommunications, 2024.

[7] Zhang Ze. Research on the impact of digital economy development on urban-rural income gap [D]. Shanxi: Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, 2024. 

[8] Song Xiaoling. Empirical test of digital inclusive finance narrowing the urban-rural income gap[J]. Financial Science, 2017(06): 14-25.

[9] Grossman J, Tarazi M. Serving smallholder farmers: Recent developments in digital finance[J]. CGAP focus note, 2014, 94.

[10] Xiong Deping, Chen Yuran. The impact of the development of digital inclusive finance on the urban-rural income gap—an empirical analysis based on disequilibrium effects and threshold effects [J]. Changbai Academic Journal, 2020, 215(05): 99-106.

[11] Mu Hongmei. Research on the relationship between urbanization level and urban-rural income gap - based on the perspective of income structure [J]. Economic Issues, 2019(08): 112-120. 

[12] Feng Yalin. Research on the impact of fiscal education expenditure on the income gap between urban and rural residents [D]. Shandong: Shandong University of Finance and Economics, 2024. 

[13] Zhang Quanjun, Chen Jian. Empirical study on digital economy, urbanization and urban-rural income gap [J]. Market Forum, 2022(08):81-88.

[14] Wang Shaoping, Ouyang Zhigang. Measurement of China's urban-rural income gap and its effect on economic growth[J]. Economic Research, 2007, 42(10): 44-55.