Rural revitalization in China: Measurement indicators, regional differences and dynamic evolution

Abstract

It is crucial to scientifically assess China's rural revitalization and grasp its evolution laws. This paper constructs an indicator system to measure the level of rural revitalization in China from 2011 to 2021 using the entropy weight method. Then, we explore the spatial and temporal divergence and dynamic evolutionary characteristics of rural revitalization using the Dagum Gini coefficient and Kernel density. We found that the level of rural revitalization in China is low but fluctuating and increasing. Regionally, eastern China scores higher than central, western and northeastern China. In terms of dimensions, ecological livability scores are higher than prosperous industry, effective governance, affluent living and civilized countryside in that order. The regional differences in the level of rural revitalization are mainly reflected between regions, especially between eastern and western China, but the gap between regions is narrowing year by year. And the results of the Kernel density show that the level of rural revitalization in China shows a slow and balanced growth, but the eastern China shows a polarization growth. These findings can provide a comprehensive and objective outline of the advantages and shortcomings of rural revitalization development in China, and provide a policy reference for the comprehensive and stable promotion of rural revitalization construction.