Abstract:

Equalization of public services between urban and rural areas is one of the important pathways to realize rural revitalization and common prosperity. At present, the equalization of public services in China faces many challenges, including big differences in the supply of public services between urban and rural areas, insufficient endogenous supply of rural public services, and low efficiency of public service provision. As an emerging technology, digital technologies provide a new way to solve urban and rural public service equalization issues. After defining the relevant concepts and interpreting several theories, this paper constructs a theoretical framework about how digital technologies promote the equalization of public services between urban and rural areas. According to this framework, we analyze the cases of practice related to the digital empowerment of urban and rural public services equalization in Zhejiang province. We propose three optimization routes: first, reinforcing the top-level design and breaking the barrier of the development of digital technologies; second, using local features to drive the endogenous supply of public services through industry digitization; and facilitating factor mobility and enhancing the universality and inclusiveness of public services with digital technology.

Key words: common prosperity, digital technologies, urban and rural public services, equalization.