Digitalization and configurational effects on regional income inequality: analysis of panel data from 134 economies

    Shuigen Hu Info
    Yulong Jie Info
    Siling Zhu Info
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2025.23950

Abstract

The literature on the impact of digitalization on regional income disparities is fragmented and contentious. Drawing on complex systems perspective and configurational theory, this paper analyses the configurational effects of digitalization factors embedded in specific contexts on regional income disparities, using a sample of 134 economies from 2012 to 2021, employing Panel Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (Panel fsQCA) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). This paper identifies four context-specific configurational patterns through which digitalization reduces regional income disparities. While no single condition emerges as a strictly necessary condition, digital inclusion and digital finance demonstrate broad positive effects across configurations. Although digital transformation cannot guarantee reduced disparities, severe digital deficiency consistently leads to widening regional income disparities. At the same time, this paper discovers previously unnoticed causal mechanisms and captures the dynamic  trends and spatial characteristics of digitalization’s impact. These findings offer diverse,adaptable insights for regional common prosperity.

First published online 23 September 2025

Keywords:

digitalization, regional income disparities, complex systems perspective, Panel fsQCA, NCA

How to Cite

Hu, S., Jie, Y., & Zhu, S. (2025). Digitalization and configurational effects on regional income inequality: analysis of panel data from 134 economies. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 1-34. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2025.23950

Share

Published in Issue
September 23, 2025
Abstract Views
71

References

Alhassan, M. D., & Adam, I. O. (2021). The effects of digital inclusion and ICT access on the quality of life: A global perspective. Technology in Society, 64, Article 101511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101511

Álvarez-Gamboa, J., Cabrera-Barona, P., & Jácome-Estrella, H. (2021). Financial inclusion and multidimensional poverty in Ecuador: A spatial approach. World Development Perspectives, 22, Article 100311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2021.100311

Arthur, W. B. (2018). The economy as an evolving complex system II. CRC Press.

Arthur, W. B. (2021). Foundations of complexity economics. Nature Reviews Physics, 3(2), 136–145. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-020-00273-3

Autio, E., Mudambi, R., & Yoo, Y. (2021). Digitalization and globalization in a turbulent world: Centrifugal and centripetal forces. Global Strategy Journal, 11(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/gsj.1396

Baldwin, R. E. (1989). The political economy of trade policy. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 3(4), 119–135. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.3.4.119

Baldwin, R. E., & Robert-Nicoud, F. (2004). The impact of trade on intraindustry reallocation and aggregate industry productivity: A comment (Working Paper No. 10718). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w10718

Ballas, D., Dorling, D., & Henning, B. (2017). Analysing the regional geography of poverty, austerity and inequality in Europe: A human cartographic perspective. Regional Studies, 51(1), 174–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2016.1262019

Bandyopadhyay, A., & Sattarzadeh, S. D. (2010). A challenging e-journey along the silk road: Lessons learned from e-governments in China and India. In C. G. Reddick (Ed.), Comparative e-government (pp. 115–138). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6536-3_6

Barrios, S., & Strobl, E. (2009). The dynamics of regional inequalities. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 39(5), 575–591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2009.03.008

Bauer, J. M. (2018). The Internet and income inequality: Socio-economic challenges in a hyperconnected society. Telecommunications Policy, 42(4), 333–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2017.05.009

Behrens, K., & Thisse, J.-F. (2007). Regional economics: A new economic geography perspective. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 37(4), 457–465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2006.10.001

Breuer, J. B., Hauk, W., & McDermott, J. (2013). The return of convergence in the US states. Applied Economics Letters, 21(1), 64–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2013.826905

Carey, J. W. (2008). Communication as culture, revised edition: Essays on media and society (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203928912

Celbis, M. G., & de Crombrugghe, D. (2018). Internet infrastructure and regional convergence: Evidence from Turkey. Papers in Regional Science, 97(2), 387–410. https://doi.org/10.1111/pirs.12244

Chatterjee, S., & Turnovsky, S. J. (2012). Infrastructure and inequality. European Economic Review, 56(8), 1730–1745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2012.08.003

Chen, W., & Wu, Y. (2021). Digital economy development, digital divide and urban-rural resident income gap. Southern Economy, 11, 1–17.

Ciffolilli, A., & Muscio, A. (2018). Industry 4.0: National and regional comparative advantages in key enabling technologies. European Planning Studies, 26(12), 2323–2343. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2018.1529145

Consoli, D., Castellacci, F., & Santoalha, A. (2023). E-skills and income inequality within European regions. Industry and Innovation, 30(7), 919–946. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2023.2230222

Das, S., & Chatterjee, A. (2023). Impacts of ICT and digital finance on poverty and income inequality: A sub-national study from India. Information Technology for Development, 29(2–3), 378–405. https://doi.org/10.1080/02681102.2022.2151556

Demir, A., Pesqué-Cela, V., Altunbas, Y., & Murinde, V. (2022). Fintech, financial inclusion and income inequality: A quantile regression approach. The European Journal of Finance, 28(1), 86–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/1351847X.2020.1772335

Demirgüç-Kunt, A., Klapper, L., Singer, D., Ansar, S., & Hess, J. (2020). The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring financial inclusion and opportunities to expand access to and use of financial services. The World Bank Economic Review, 34, S2–S8. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhz013

Deng, X., Guo, M., & Liu, Y. (2023). Digital economy development and the urban-rural income gap: Evidence from Chinese cities. PLos ONE, 18(2), Article e0280225. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280225

Ding, H. (2022). What kinds of countries have better innovation performance? − A country-level fsQCA and NCA study. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 7(4), Article 100215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2022.100215

Ding, G., & Kang, N. (2024). The impact of digital financial inclusion on China’s regional disparities in the quality of economic development: Based on the relational data paradigm. Economic Analysis and Policy, 81, 629–651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2023.12.014

Dong, F., Hu, M., Gao, Y., Liu, Y., Zhu, J., & Pan, Y. (2022). How does digital economy affect carbon emissions? Evidence from global 60 countries. Science of The Total Environment, 852, Article 158401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158401

Dreher, A. (2006). Does globalization affect growth? Evidence from a new index of globalization. Applied Economics, 38(10), 1091–1110. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036840500392078

Duan, B., & Shao, C. (2020). Does the digital economy exacerbate regional disparities? Empirical evidence from 284 prefecture-level cities in China. World Regional Studies, 29(4), 728–737.

Dul, J., van der Laan, E., & Kuik, R. (2020). A statistical significance test for necessary condition analysis. Organizational Research Methods, 23(2), 385–395. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428118795272

El Sawy, O. A., Malhotra, A., Park, Y., & Pavlou, P. A. (2010). Research commentary – Seeking the configurations of digital ecodynamics: It takes three to tango. Information Systems Research, 21(4), 661–1010. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.1100.0326

Eva, M., Cehan, A., Corodescu-Roșca, E., & Bourdin, S. (2022). Spatial patterns of regional inequalities: Empirical evidence from a large panel of countries. Applied Geography, 140, Article 102638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2022.102638

Ezcurra, R., & Rodríguez-Pose, A. (2013). Does economic globalization affect regional inequality? A cross-country analysis. World Development, 52, 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.07.002

Ezcurra, R. (2019). Regional disparities and within-country inequality in the European Union. Revista de Economía Mundial, (51), 139–162. https://doi.org/10.33776/rem.v0i51.3907

Feldman, M. P. (2022). Local knowledge spillovers in the digital economy. In E. Deiaco & J. Wernberg (Eds.), Rethinking boundaries and revisiting borders: Conditions for innovation, entrepreneurship and economic integration in an interconnected world (pp. 25–37). Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum.

Fiss, P. C., Marx, A., & Cambré, B. (2013). Configurational theory and methods in organizational research: Introduction. In P. C. Fiss, B. Cambré, & A. Marx (Eds.), Configurational theory and methods in organizational research (Vol. 38, pp. 1–22). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X(2013)0000038005

Florida, R., & Mellander, C. (2016). The geography of inequality: Difference and determinants of wage and income inequality across US metros. Regional Studies, 50(1), 79–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2014.884275

Fu, B., Meadows, M. E., & Zhao, W. (2022). Geography in the Anthropocene: Transforming our world for sustainable development. Geography and Sustainability, 3(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2021.12.004

Galindo-Martín, M.-Á., Castaño-Martínez, M.-S., & Méndez-Picazo, M.-T. (2019). Digital transformation, digital dividends and entrepreneurship: A quantitative analysis. Journal of Business Research, 101, 522–527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.12.014

Georgescu, I., & Kinnunen, J. (2021). The digital effectiveness on economic inequality: A computational approach. In A. M. Dima & F. D’Ascenzo (Eds.), Business revolution in a digital era. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics (pp. 223–239). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59972-0_16

Greckhamer, T., Misangyi, V. F., & Fiss, P. C. (2013). The two QCAs: From a small-N to a large-N set theoretic approach. In P. C. Fiss, B. Cambré, & A. Marx (Eds.), Configurational theory and methods in organizational research (Vol. 38, pp. 49–75). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X(2013)0000038007

Guo, Y., Qin, W., Wu, L., Chen, Y., & Li, L. (2023). Gòngtóng fùyù zhèngcè tuījìn qūyù gòngtóng fùyù shuǐpíng de kōngjiān yìchū xiàoyìng [Spatial spillover effects of common prosperity policies on promoting regional common prosperity levels]. Jingji Dili [Economic Geography], 43(9), 20–30.

Haefner, L., & Sternberg, R. (2020). Spatial implications of digitization: State of the field and research agenda. Geography Compass, 14(12), Article e12544. https://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12544

Hanusch, H., & Pyka, A. (2007). Principles of Neo-Schumpeterian economics. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 31(2), 275–289. https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/bel018

Hargittai, E., & Hsieh, Y. P. (2013). Digital inequality. In W. H. Dutton (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of internet studies (pp. 129–150). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199589074.013.0007

Hawash, R., & Lang, G. (2020). Does the digital gap matter? Estimating the impact of ICT on productivity in developing countries. Eurasian Economic Review, 10, 189–209. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40822-019-00133-1

Hollman, A. K., Obermier, T. R., Burger, P., & Spanier, A. (2020). Rural measures: A quantitative study of the rural digital divide. Proceedings of the TPRC48: 48th Research Conference on Communication, Information and Internet Policy, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3757477

Hou, G., & Xiong, J. (2023). Shùzì jīngjì duì gòngtóng fùyù de yǐngxiǎng yǔ tíshēng lùjìng yánjiū – jīyú wǒguó 30 gè shěngfèn de jìliàng yǔ QCA fēnxī [Research on the impact of digital economy on common prosperity and its promotion path: Based on econometric and QCA analysis of 30 provinces in China]. Yúnnán Mínzú Dàxué Xuébào (Zhéxué Shèhuì Kēxué Bǎn) [Journal of Yunnan Minzu University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition)], 40(3), 89–99.

Huang, J. (2021). The impact of Internet development on regional economic disparities under the background of digital economy – From the perspective of labor factor allocation. Commercial Economic Research, 21, 167–171.

ITU. (2023). Measuring digital development: ICT Development Index 2023. https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/IDI2023/

Jadhav, V. (2022). Dynamics of national development and regional disparity: Evidence from 184 countries. Journal of Economic Studies, 50(5), 1048–1062. https://doi.org/10.1108/JES-02-2022-0080

Jia, C., & Hua, Y. (2023). An analysis of digital government construction and urban-rural income gap from the perspective of Chinese-style modernization. Fudan Journal (Social Sciences), 65(2), 107–118.

Johns, G. (2006). The essential impact of context on organizational behavior. Academy of Management Review, 31(2), 386–408. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2006.20208687

Kebede, J., Naranpanawa, A., & Selvanathan, S. (2023). Financial inclusion and income inequality nexus: A case of Africa. Economic Analysis and Policy, 77, 539–557. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2022.12.006

Kiviaho, A., & Einolander, J. (2023). Digital transformation, well-being and shrinking communities: Narrowing the divides between urban and rural. Heliyon, 9(8), Article e18801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18801

Kling, R., & Lamb, R. (1999). IT and organizational change in digital economies: A socio-technical approach. ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, 29(3), 17–25. https://doi.org/10.1145/572183.572189

Kochevrin, Iu. (1988). The neoclassical theory of production and distribution. Problems in Economics, 30(11), 6–29. https://doi.org/10.2753/PET1061-199130116

Kong, D., Long, Y., & Chen, M. (2023). Digital economy, new infrastructure and regional coordinated development: An empirical test based on panel threshold model. Journal of Hubei University of Economics, 21(5), 78–88.

Krugman, P., & Elizondo, R. L. (1996). Trade policy and the Third World metropolis. Journal of Development Economics, 49(1), 137–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3878(95)00055-0

Lessmann, C. (2014). Spatial inequality and development – Is there an inverted-U relationship? Journal of Development Economics, 106, 35–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2013.08.011

Lessmann, C., & Seidel, A. (2017). Regional inequality, convergence, and its determinants – A view from outer space. European Economic Review, 92, 110–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2016.11.009

Levesque, V. R., Bell, K. P., & Johnson, E. S. (2024). The role of municipal digital services in advancing rural resilience. Government Information Quarterly, 41(1), Article 101883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2023.101883

Li, M., Feng, S., & Xie, X. (2020). Research on the heterogeneous impact of digital inclusive finance on urban-rural income gap. Journal of Nanjing Agricultural University (Social Sciences Edition), 20(3), 132–145.

Li, Q., & He, A. (2022). Research on the impact effect and mechanism of digital economy on regional economic coordinated development. Inquiry into Economic Issues, 8, 1–13.

Liu, G., Huang, Y., & Huang, Z. (2021). Determinants and mechanisms of digital financial inclusion development: Based on urban-rural differences. Agronomy, 11(9), Article 1833. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11091833

Liu, X., Huang, Y., Huang, S., & Zhang, T. (2022). Digital inclusive finance and common prosperity: Theoretical mechanism and empirical facts. Financial Economics Research, 37(1), 135–149.

Liu, F., & Song, R. (2023). Shùzì jìshù duì qūyù jīngjì chājù de yǐngxiǎng – jīyú kōngjiān yìchū de jiǎnyàn [The impact of digital technology on regional economic disparities: Based on spatial spillover test]. Huádōng Jīngjì Guǎnlǐ [East China Economic Management], 37(9), 1–10.

Liu, H., Wang, X., Wang, Z., & Cheng, Y. (2024). Does digitalization mitigate regional inequalities? Evidence from China. Geography and Sustainability, 5(1), 52–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2023.09.007

Löfving, L., Kamuf, V., Heleniak, T., Weck, S., & Norlén, G. (2022). Can digitalization be a tool to overcome spatial injustice in sparsely populated regions? The cases of Digital Västerbotten (Sweden) and Smart Country Side (Germany). European Planning Studies, 30(5), 917–934. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2021.1928053

Lu, S., & Hong, J. (2023). Xiāngcūn diànzǐ shāngwù jiànshè yǔ qūyù xiétiáo fāzhǎn – láizì zhōngguó diànzǐ shāngwù jìn nóngcūn shìdiǎn de zhèngjù [Rural e-commerce construction and regional coordinated development: Evidence from China’s e-commerce into the rural pilot program]. Jīngjì Pínglùn [Economic Review], (5), 71–88.

Lucas, S. R., & Szatrowski, A. (2014). Qualitative comparative analysis in critical perspective. Sociological Methodology, 44(1), 1–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0081175014532763

Lv, C., Song, J., & Lee, C.-C. (2022). Can digital finance narrow the regional disparities in the quality of economic growth? Evidence from China. Economic Analysis and Policy, 76, 502–521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2022.08.022

Mack, E. A., Anselin, L., & Grubesic, T. H. (2011). The importance of broadband provision to knowledge intensive firm location. Regional Science Policy & Practice, 3(1), 17–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1757-7802.2011.01026.x

Madsen, J. B. (2007). Technology spillover through trade and TFP convergence: 135 years of evidence for the OECD countries. Journal of International Economics, 72(2), 464–480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinteco.2006.12.001

Miller, D. (1996). Configurations revisited. Strategic Management Journal, 17(7), 505–512. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199607)17:7<505::AID-SMJ852>3.0.CO;2-I

Mim, S. B., & Jeguirim, M. (2022). Do ICT help to alleviate inequality? New empirical evidence for developing countries. In M. S. Ben Ali (Ed.), Digitalization and economic development (pp. 47–73). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003198284-3

Moriset, B., & Malecki, E. J. (2009). Organization versus space: The paradoxical geographies of the digital economy. Geography Compass, 3(1), 256–274. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8198.2008.00203.x

Moulton, B. R. (1999). GDP and the digital economy: Keeping up with the changes. In E. Brynjolfsson & B. Kahin (Eds.), Understanding the digital economy: Data, tools, and research (pp. 34–38). The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/6986.003.0004

Myrdal, G. (1957). Economic nationalism and internationalism: The Dyason lectures. Australian Outlook, 11(4), 3–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049915708565383

Neogi, C. (2020). Effect of ICT on the performance of Indian states in terms of human development indices. In D. Maiti, F. Castellacci, & A. Melchior (Eds.), Digitalisation and development: Issues for India and beyond (pp. 287–318). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-9996-1_11

Nguyen, V. B. (2023). The role of digitalization in the FDI – income inequality relationship in developed and developing countries. Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, 28(55), 6–26. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEFAS-09-2021-0189

Orlikowski, W. J., & Baroudi, J. J. (1991). Studying information technology in organizations: Research approaches and assumptions. Information Systems Research, 2(1), 1–84. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2.1.1

Ozturk, I., & Ullah, S. (2022). Does digital financial inclusion matter for economic growth and environmental sustainability in OBRI economies? An empirical analysis. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 185, Article 106489. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106489

Park, S., & Humphry, J. (2019). Exclusion by design: Intersections of social, digital and data exclusion. Information, Communication & Society, 22(7), 934–953. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1606266

Park, Y., Fiss, P. C., & El Sawy, O. A. (2020). Theorizing the multiplicity of digital phenomena: The ecology of configurations, causal recipes, and guidelines for applying QCA. Management of Information Systems Quarterly, 44, 1493–1520https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4158044

Perez, C. (2010). Technological revolutions and techno-economic paradigms. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 34(1), 185–202. https://doi.org/10.1093/cje/bep051

Petrakos, G., Rodríguez-Pose, A., & Rovolis, A. (2005). Growth, integration, and regional disparities in the European Union. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 37(10), 1837–1855. https://doi.org/10.1068/a37348

Ragin, C. C. (2000). Fuzzy-set social science. University of Chicago Press.

Ragin, C. C., & Fiss, P. (2008). Net effects analysis versus configurational analysis: An empirical demonstration. In Redesigning social inquiry: Fuzzy sets and beyond (pp. 190–212). University of Chicago Press. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226702797.001.0001

Ragnedda, M., & Muschert, G. W. (2013). The digital divide: The Internet and social inequality in international perspective. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203069769

Ramadani, L., Yovadiani, A., & Dewi, F. (2022). When innocence is no protection: Governance failure of digitization and its impact on local level implementation. Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, 16(1), 68–80. https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-09-2021-0142

Raychaudhuri, A., & De, P. (2010). Trade, infrastructure and income inequality in selected Asian countries: An empirical analysis (Working Paper No. 8210). ARTNeT.

Richmond, K., & Triplett, R. E. (2018). ICT and income inequality: A cross-national perspective. International Review of Applied Economics, 32(2), 195–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/02692171.2017.1338677

Castro, R. G., & Ariño, M. A. (2016). A general approach to panel data set-theoretic research. Journal of Advances in Management Sciences & Information Systems, 2, 63–76. https://doi.org/10.6000/2371-1647.2016.02.06

Robinson, L., Cotten, S. R., Ono, H., Quan-Haase, A., Mesch, G., Chen, W., Schulz, J., Hale, T. M., & Stern, M. J. (2015). Digital inequalities and why they matter. Information, Communication & Society, 18(5), 569–582. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1012532

Sahay, R., Von Allmen, U., Lahreche, A., Khera, P., Ogawa, S., Bazarbash, M., & Beaton, K. (2020). The promise of fintech: Financial inclusion in the post COVID-19 era (IMF Departmental Paper No. 20/09). https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513512242.087

Shahbaz, M., Wang, J., Dong, K., & Zhao, J. (2022). The impact of digital economy on energy transition across the globe: The mediating role of government governance. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 166, Article 112620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112620

Sharp, M. (2024). Revisiting the measurement of digital inclusion. The World Bank Research Observer, 39(2), 289–318. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkad007

Shen, Y., Hueng, C. J., & Hu, W. (2020). Measurement and spillover effect of digital financial inclusion: A cross-country analysis. Applied Economics Letters, 28(20), 1738–1743. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2020.1853663

Shiu, A., & Lam, P.-L. (2008). Causal relationship between telecommunications and economic growth in China and its regions. Regional Studies, 42(5), 705–718. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343400701543314

Si, L. (2023). Shùzì jīngjì tuīdòng qūyù xiétiáo fāzhǎn: Lǐlùn luójí yǔ shíjiàn lùjìng [Digital economy drives regional coordinated development: Theoretical logic and practical path]. Lǐlùn Yǔ Gǎigé [Theory and Reform], (2), 73–85, 150–151.

Siddik, M. N., & Kabiraj, S. (2018). Does financial inclusion induce financial stability? Evidence from cross-country analysis. Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal, 12(1), 34–46. https://doi.org/10.14453/aabfj.v12i1.3

Siregar, Y. P. (2020). Does digital financial inclusion affect inequality? [Master’s thesis, KDI School]. https://archives.kdischool.ac.kr/handle/11125/40909

Smits, J., & Permanyer, I. (2019). The subnational human development database. Scientific Data, 6, Article 190038. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2019.38

Song, X.-L., Jing, Y.-G., & Akeba’erjiang, K. (2020). Spatial econometric analysis of digital financial inclusion in China. International Journal of Development Issues, 20(2), 210–225. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDI-05-2020-0086

Sorbe, S., Gal, P., Nicoletti, G., & Timiliotis, C. (2019). Digital dividend: Policies to harness the productivity potential of digital technologies (OECD Economic Policy Papers No. 26). OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/273176bc-en

Sørensen, E., & Torfing, J. (2009). Making governance networks effective and democratic through metagovernance. Public Administration, 87(2), 234–258. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2009.01753.x

Suhrab, M., Chen, P., & Ullah, A. (2024). Digital financial inclusion and income inequality nexus: Can technology innovation and infrastructure development help in achieving sustainable development goals? Technology in Society, 76, Article 102411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102411

Tchamyou, V. S., & Asongu, S. A. (2017). Information sharing and financial sector development in Africa. Journal of African Business, 18(1), 24–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228916.2016.1216233

Tchamyou, V. S., Erreygers, G., & Cassimon, D. (2019). Inequality, ICT and financial access in Africa. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 139, 169–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.11.004

Toma, P., & Laurens, P. (2024). Regional development and intellectual capital: Unveiling the innovation-tradition dilemma. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 96, Article 102087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seps.2024.102087

Tornatzky, L. G., & Fleischer, M. (1990). The processes of technological innovation. Lexington Books. https://archive.org/details/processesoftechn0000torn

Tranos, E., Kitsos, T., & Ortega-Argilés, R. (2021). Digital economy in the UK: Regional productivity effects of early adoption. Regional Studies, 55(12), 1924–1938. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2020.1826420

Trist, E. L. (1981). The evolution of socio-technical systems (Vol. 2). Ontario Quality of Working Life Centre.

Trist, E. (1981). The evolution of socio-technical systems: A conceptual framework and an action research program (Occasional Paper No. 2). Ontario Quality of Working Life Centre.

Ullah, A., Kui, Z., Ullah, S., Pinglu, C., & Khan, S. (2021). Sustainable utilization of financial and institutional resources in reducing income inequality and poverty. Sustainability, 13(3), Article 1038. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031038

United Nations. (2024). E-government survey 2024: Accelerating digital transformation for sustainable development (Report No. ST/ESA/PAD/SER.E/218). https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us

Vasist, P. N., & Krishnan, S. (2024). AI’s impact on sustainability targets: A cross-country NCA and fsQCA study. Information Systems Frontiers, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-024-10543-5

Venables, A. J. (2001). Geography and international inequalities: The impact of new technologies. Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, 1, 135–159. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1012830529827

Wang, F., Wang, R., & He, Z. (2022a). Exploring the impact of “Double Cycle” and industrial upgrading on sustainable high-quality economic development: Application of spatial and mediation models. Sustainability, 14(4), Article 2432. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042432

Wang, L., Zhou, Z., Du, M., & Liu, Y. (2022b). Research on the influence mechanism and path of digital economy on regional coordinated development. Journal of Xihua University (Philosophy & Social Sciences), 41(3), 75–89.

Wang, Z., Li, X., & Hu, N. (2024). Shùzì jīngjì duì wǒguó qūyù xiétiáo fāzhǎn de yǐngxiǎng yánjiū – jīyú jīngjì zēngzhǎng shōuliǎn shìjiǎo de fēnxī [Research on the impact of digital economy on China’s regional coordinated development: An analysis based on the perspective of economic growth convergence]. Chéngshì Wèntí [Urban Problems], (1), 75–83.

Wei, Y. D. (2015). Spatiality of regional inequality. Applied Geography, 61, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2015.03.013

Williamson, J. G. (1965). Regional inequality and the process of national development: A description of the patterns. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 13(4). https://doi.org/10.1086/450136

World Bank. (2024). Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024 Update. www.govindicators.org

Wouterlood, C. (2015). The effect of Internet on income inequality [Master thesis, Erasmus School of Economics]. https://thesis.eur.nl/pub/18480

Xiang, Y., Lu, Q., & Li, Z. (2022). Digital economy development empowers common prosperity: Impact effect and mechanism. Securities Market Herald, 5, 2–13.

Xiong, M., Li, W., Teo, B. S. X., & Othman, J. (2022). Can China’s digital inclusive finance alleviate rural poverty? An empirical analysis from the perspective of regional economic development and an income gap. Sustainability, 14(24), Article 16984. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416984

Xu, X., Hui, N., & Han, X. (2023). Digital economy empowers the equalization of basic public services: A study on the mechanism and dynamic moderating effect. Inquiry into Economic Issues, 8, 132–146.

Yin, Z. H., & Choi, C. H. (2022). Does e-commerce narrow the urban-rural income gap? Evidence from Chinese provinces. Internet Research, 32(4), 1427–1452. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-04-2021-0227

Yu, P., Yu, X., & Fu, J. (2023). The impact of e-commerce on regional common prosperity: Based on fsQCA analysis of 31 provinces. Journal of Commercial Economics, 6, 185–188.

Zhao, T., Zhang, Z., & Liang, S. (2020). Shùzì jīngjì, chuàngyè huóyuèdù yǔ gāo zhìliàng fāzhǎn – láizì zhōngguó chéngshì de jīngyàn zhèngjù [Digital economy, entrepreneurial vitality and high-quality development: Empirical evidence from Chinese cities]. Guǎnlǐ Shìjiè [Management World], 36(10), 65–76.

Zhong, W., Zheng, M., & Zhong, C. (2021). An empirical test of the impact of digital economy development on the urban-rural income gap. Statistics and Decision, 18, 83–87.

Zou, Q., Mao, Z., Yan, R., Liu, S., & Duan, Z. (2023). Vision and reality of e-government for governance improvement: Evidence from global cross-country panel data. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 194, Article 122667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122667

View article in other formats

CrossMark check

CrossMark logo

Published

2025-09-23

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Hu, S., Jie, Y., & Zhu, S. (2025). Digitalization and configurational effects on regional income inequality: analysis of panel data from 134 economies. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 1-34. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2025.23950

Share