Measuring Rural Revitalization Performance Across Chinese Provinces

Abstract

Promoting the steady implementation of the Rural Revitalization Strategy is not only an inevitable requirement for the development of socialism with Chi-nese characteristics but also a fundamental strategy concerning the national economy and people's livelihood. Rural revitalization plays a crucial role in enhancing social and economic development, improving residents' well-being, and fostering sustainable progress in rural areas.

In this study, an indicator system based on the five-dimensional framework—prosperous industries, ecological livability, civilized, effective governance, and affluent living—is constructed and analyzed systematically. The research em-ploys data from twenty secondary indicators across thirty-one provinces from 2014 to 2022. The entropy weight method is utilized to calculate the compre-hensive rural revitalization index. The findings reveal that the comprehensive level of rural revitalization has been steadily improving across provinces; however, spatial disparities have slightly widened. A distinct "East-Middle-West" descending gradient is observed in the spatial distribution of rural revitalization. From the perspective of the five dimensions, the devel-opment of civilized remains relatively low in most provinces, necessitating further efforts to enhance rural cultural and ethical standards. In contrast, the dimension of effective governance has witnessed significant reductions in re-gional disparities, with most provinces achieving relatively high levels of pro-gress.