Impact of E-commerce Development on Household Consumption Gap in China
Since the reform and opening-up,the consumption level of Chinese residents has greatly improved,but the problem of consumption gap has become increasingly prominent.In recent years,China's e-commerce has developed rapidly and has become an important force stimulating household consumption,but it has both positive and negative effects on the consumption gap.On the one hand,e-commerce can connect markets in remote and poor areas,increase the income of the poor,and help reduce the consumption gap.On the other hand,e-commerce development is still mainly concentrated in urban areas,leading to further widening of the development gap between urban and rural areas,which is not conducive to reducing the consumption gap.Existing studies mainly focus on the impact of e-commerce on consumption growth but lack discussion on whether e-commerce will expand the consumption gap among different households and ignore the impact of e-commerce on regional consumption gap and mobility.To explore the impact of e-commerce development on the consumption gap,this study first constructs a theoretical framework that e-commerce development affects the consumption gap among different households and finds that whether e-commerce development can reduce the consumption gap depends on how the transaction cost and income gaps between different households change.Then,combining the data of the China Household Finance Survey from 2015 to 2019 and the e-commerce development big data,this study constructs a micro-household level consumption gap index to test the impact and mechanism of e-commerce development on consumption gap.It also discusses how it affects the consumption gap and mobility at regional,urban,and rural levels.Through theoretical and empirical research,this study finds that the development of e-commerce can significantly reduce the consumption gap among different households,and its mechanism is mainly reflected in narrowing the transaction cost gap and reducing income inequality.Households with higher transaction costs will increase their consumption due to the convenience brought by e-commerce,while the development of e-commerce will reduce the consumption gap by raising the income level of low-income households.Further analysis reveals that the development of e-commerce also reduces the consumption gap within the same city and between different cities,playing a positive role in narrowing the cross-regional consumption gap at the macro level.From a dynamic perspective,the development of e-commerce also increases the probability of upward mobility of low-consumption groups,which is conducive to low-consumption households getting out of the poverty trap in the long run.Finally,this study expands related research on the digital economy and household consumption and provides a reference for the development of e-commerce and the realization of common prosperity.First,the government should take advantage of the opportunity of e-commerce development to improve the income earning ability of low-and middle-income earners;continue to promote the"e-commerce into rural comprehensive demonstration county plan";cultivate"Taobao villages"and"Taobao towns"with local characteristics;and provide policy support such as credit and tax,skills training,and business incubation for low and middle-income households,especially those in poor areas.Second,the government should accelerate the construction of a logistics distribution system covering counties,townships,and villages;realize the consumption potential of residents;promote the construction of county-level common distribution centers and comprehensive transportation services in towns and cities;and break through the"last mile"of commodity circulation.Third,the government should eliminate the barriers that hinder the cross-regional flow of commodities;break down the obstacles that are not conducive to the flow of factors between cities and between urban and rural areas orderly;open up the whole chain and all links of production,distribution,circulation,and consumption;unify the laws,regulations,and ethical standards in the field of e-commerce in all regions;and enhance the sustainability of economic development driven by e-commerce.
万方数据
维普
