Has digital finance widened the income gap?

Using the statistical data of 280 prefectural-level cities in China from 2011 to 2020, this paper empirically tests the relationship between digital finance and residents' income in a linear and nonlinear model based on the G-J model theory, respectively. The study aims to discuss and analyze t...

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Main Authors: Lianying Yao, Xiaoxiao Ma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2022-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263915
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author Lianying Yao
Xiaoxiao Ma
author_facet Lianying Yao
Xiaoxiao Ma
author_sort Lianying Yao
collection DOAJ
description Using the statistical data of 280 prefectural-level cities in China from 2011 to 2020, this paper empirically tests the relationship between digital finance and residents' income in a linear and nonlinear model based on the G-J model theory, respectively. The study aims to discuss and analyze the impact of digital finance development on income distribution in the context of the current situation of digital finance development in China and further explore how to make digital finance better regulate the income distribution of residents. The innovation of this paper is to use two nonlinear methods to verify the Kuznets effect and threshold characteristics of digital financial development affecting the income distribution of residents based on linear analysis and explore the relationship between n digital economic development the current income gap more comprehensively. The study shows a Kuznets effect of digital finance development on the income distribution of Chinese residents. Thus, most regions in China have not yet crossed the inflection point of the bell-shaped curve, and the income gap within areas will continue to increase with the development of digital finance. By constructing a threshold model, it is found that the positive effect of digital finance on income disparity may initially increase with the increase of regional economic level. Still, when the regional economic development reaches a higher stage, the effect will tend to fall back. As a result, the negative impact of digital finance development on residents' income distribution will be significantly reduced at that time.
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spelling doaj.art-c9b6a693069f4917aadad1bb56915f362022-12-21T16:43:13ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032022-01-01172e026391510.1371/journal.pone.0263915Has digital finance widened the income gap?Lianying YaoXiaoxiao MaUsing the statistical data of 280 prefectural-level cities in China from 2011 to 2020, this paper empirically tests the relationship between digital finance and residents' income in a linear and nonlinear model based on the G-J model theory, respectively. The study aims to discuss and analyze the impact of digital finance development on income distribution in the context of the current situation of digital finance development in China and further explore how to make digital finance better regulate the income distribution of residents. The innovation of this paper is to use two nonlinear methods to verify the Kuznets effect and threshold characteristics of digital financial development affecting the income distribution of residents based on linear analysis and explore the relationship between n digital economic development the current income gap more comprehensively. The study shows a Kuznets effect of digital finance development on the income distribution of Chinese residents. Thus, most regions in China have not yet crossed the inflection point of the bell-shaped curve, and the income gap within areas will continue to increase with the development of digital finance. By constructing a threshold model, it is found that the positive effect of digital finance on income disparity may initially increase with the increase of regional economic level. Still, when the regional economic development reaches a higher stage, the effect will tend to fall back. As a result, the negative impact of digital finance development on residents' income distribution will be significantly reduced at that time.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263915
spellingShingle Lianying Yao
Xiaoxiao Ma
Has digital finance widened the income gap?
PLoS ONE
title Has digital finance widened the income gap?
title_full Has digital finance widened the income gap?
title_fullStr Has digital finance widened the income gap?
title_full_unstemmed Has digital finance widened the income gap?
title_short Has digital finance widened the income gap?
title_sort has digital finance widened the income gap
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263915
work_keys_str_mv AT lianyingyao hasdigitalfinancewidenedtheincomegap
AT xiaoxiaoma hasdigitalfinancewidenedtheincomegap