Research on the Influence Mechanism and Effect of Rural Industrial Convergence on Urban-Rural Income Gap——An Empirical Analysis Based on the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Abstract

As an important way to promote the prosperity of rural industries and the prosperity of farmers’ rural industrial convergence plays an important role in narrowing the income gap between urban and rural areas. This article attempts to entropy weight TOPSIS method to calculate the level of rural industrial convergence in 120 prefecture-level cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2009 to 2019, examines the mechanism and effect of rural industrial convergence on urban-rural income gap, and studies the regional heterogeneity of rural industrial convergence on urban-rural income gap. The main conclusions as follows: (1) The convergence of rural industries in the Yangtze River Economic Belt as a whole and in various regions is conducive to narrowing the urban-rural income gap, but there is significant regional heterogeneity, which is manifested as "the upper > the middle > the lower reaches". (2) Rural economic growth and urbanization have played a partial mediating effect on rural industrial convergence and narrowing the urban-rural income gap, and rural economic growth is greater than the mediating effect of urbanization. (3) Rural infrastructure has a positive moderating effect on rural industrial convergence and narrowing the urban-rural income gap.