Unveiling the blueprint for rural digital prosperity: A comparative examination of top 100 digital counties in China

The current research focus in the field of digital rural development revolves around achieving high-quality digital rural construction and addressing the digital divide in different regions. This is particularly significant in China, where the issue has grown increasingly prominent. To delineate the pathway for rural digitalization and bridge the digital divide, we have constructed a Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, drawing upon configuration theory. Utilizing data from China's Top 100 Digital Rural Counties and applying the methods of Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) and Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), we identified the configurational paths necessary to achieve high-quality digital rural construction and discerned the nature of the digital divide across various regions. The findings show that: 1) none of the single antecedent conditions is a necessary condition for achieving a high level of digital rural construction. 2) There are four configurational paths for high-quality digital rural construction: technology-organization combination, technology-organization optimization, technology-organization symbiosis, and environmental integration. 3) Further analyses show that the configurational path for high-quality rural digitalization in the southeast coastal areas is organization-led, multi-coordinated, and technology-environment driven. In contrast, for inland provinces, it is technology-led, technology-innovation, and technology-external pressure. Moreover, a comparative analysis of regional differences shows that the high-quality digital rural construction in the southeast coastal provinces presents a well-rounded development type, whereas for the inland provinces it demonstrates a development mode of technology-driven under government leadership. The findings provide valuable insights for rural digitalization research and shed light on bridging the digital divide.