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Countries have invested in transport infrastructure and public service in recent years to reduce rural poverty and income inequality. However, the effects of transport infrastructure on the residents with economic and educational disadvantages in rural areas are still under debate. In this paper, we investigate the impact of road infrastructure on the income of rural residents at the municipal level using data from the China Family Panel Survey (CFPS) from 2010 to 2018. By using the instrumental variable regression model, we found that rural residents' household incomes benefit from road infrastructure. Within income components, road infrastructure plays a role in improving rural residents' wage and business income. Further comparing different rural resident groups, we found that rural residents with lower initial farming and business income benefit more from improved road infrastructure in terms of their farming and business income from 2010 to 2018. In addition, in poverty-stricken areas, rural residents with lower initial farming and business income benefit more from road infrastructure in improving their farming and business income. However, the household incomes of rural residents with low formal education improve less as a result of road infrastructure. Policymakers should thus consider combining transport infrastructure provision with other policy packages, such as education program or skill training, to target different groups of rural residents in China. • Explaining the relationship between road infrastructure and rural residents' income. • Rural residents with lower initial farming and business income benefit more from improved road infrastructure. • In poverty-stricken areas, rural residents with lower initial farming and business income benefit more from road infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital economy development (DED) empowers rural habitat (RH) improvement and promotes the construction of harmonious villages. Based on a panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2019, this paper empirically tests the impact of DED on RH and its endogenous mechanism in multiple dimensions using panel fixed effects model and spatial Durbin model. The results show that DED significantly improves RH, which remains robust after a series of robustness tests and dealing with endogeneity issues. The mechanism analysis shows that DED helps to bring into play the rural resource allocation effect, the innovation and entrepreneurship effect, and the carbon emission reduction effect, and improves the RH through these three effects. Further study finds that the digital application divide and regional divide are the main barriers to digital technology enabling RH improvement, there is a spatial spillover effect of DED, which helps to promote the improvement of RH in neighboring areas. The results of the study can provide theoretical support and decision-making reference for the construction of digital villages and the balanced regional development of RH in China. • Indicator system of digital economy and rural habitat was constructed. • Digital economy development significantly boosts rural habitat. • Resource allocation, rural entrepreneurship, and carbon reduction are effective transmission mechanisms. • Digital application divide has a heterogeneity impact. • The spatial spillover effect of the digital economy is significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the impact of nonfarm income on poverty and welfare has been fully recorded, far less is known about the relationship between nonfarm income and the rural household energy transition. This paper attempts to fill this gap by investigating the causal effect of nonfarm income on the rural household cooking energy transition. Based on nationwide data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) conducted in 2018, we applied a two-stage instrumental variable (IV)-probit model to overcome the endogeneity challenges. The empirical results reveal that nonfarm income has a positive impact on clean cooking energy use. The marginal effect of agricultural income is not linear but U-shaped. After controlling for endogeneity, a 1% increase in annual nonfarm income results in an increase in the probability of clean cooking energy use of 3.9% (p < 0.01). Nonfarm income can contribute to the rural household cooking energy transition by raising overall household income and relaxing liquidity constraints. The effect is more salient for certain households, such as male-headed households and those living in the economically underdeveloped central and western regions. Our findings contribute to extending the scope and depth of energy ladder theory and provide policy implications to accelerate the rural cooking energy transition. • We examine the effect of off-farm income on rural household cooking energy choices. • We apply a two-stage IV-Probit model to overcomes the endogeneity challenges. • We find that off-farm income facilitates the transition from dirty to clean fuels for cooking. • In rural China, the energy ladder phenomenon is mainly driven by nonfarm income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While household conversion to clean cooking fuels is well documented, the peer influence of neighbors on rural households using clean cooking fuels has not been investigated. This study examines the influence of neighbors on rural households switching to cleaner cooking fuels. Based on data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies, this paper uses a spatial econometric model to analyze the neighborhood effects in the process of adopting clean cooking fuels among rural households in China. The findings show that neighborhood effects influence the adoption of clean cooking fuels by rural households in the same village through social norms and social multiplier effects. Neighborhood effects also indirectly promote the adoption of clean cooking fuels by rural households through the Internet. There is heterogeneity in the neighborhood effects on the adoption of clean cooking fuels by rural households. Therefore, this study recommends related policies to facilitate the transition to clean cooking fuel in rural regions. • Neighborhood effects influence rural households' adoption of clean cooking fuels. • Social norms effects facilitate rural use of clean fuels for cooking. • Social multiplier effects accelerate rural use of clean fuels for cooking. • Internet's a bridge between neighbors' effects and rural use of clean cooking fuels. • There is heterogeneity of neighbors' effects on rural use of clean fuels for cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While household conversion to clean cooking fuels is well documented, the peer influence of neighbors on rural households using clean cooking fuels has not been investigated. This study examines the influence of neighbors on rural households switching to cleaner cooking fuels. Based on data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies, this paper uses a spatial econometric model to analyze the neighborhood effects in the process of adopting clean cooking fuels among rural households in China. The findings show that neighborhood effects influence the adoption of clean cooking fuels by rural households in the same village through social norms and social multiplier effects. Neighborhood effects also indirectly promote the adoption of clean cooking fuels by rural households through the Internet. There is heterogeneity in the neighborhood effects on the adoption of clean cooking fuels by rural households. Therefore, this study recommends related policies to facilitate the transition to clean cooking fuel in rural regions. • Neighborhood effects influence rural households' adoption of clean cooking fuels. • Social norms effects facilitate rural use of clean fuels for cooking. • Social multiplier effects accelerate rural use of clean fuels for cooking. • Internet's a bridge between neighbors' effects and rural use of clean cooking fuels. • There is heterogeneity of neighbors' effects on rural use of clean fuels for cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]