Redai dili (Feb 2023)
Spatial Pattern and Influencing Factors of Rural E-Commerce Logistic Level in China
Abstract
The deepening of the social division of labor in economic development has led to the emergence of the logistics industry. The development of distribution plays an important role in optimizing regional resource allocation and improving regional competitiveness. The construction of logistics and distribution facilities not only promotes the upward movement of agricultural products but also the downward movement of industrial products, playing an important role in both the production and consumption sides, especially in rural areas. Existing logistics research based on the spatial perspective mainly focuses on the exploration of urban logistics and distribution, including the evaluation of urban logistics hubs and the construction of logistics systems, and so on. There is limited research on the evaluation of rural logistics and distribution level and its spatial characteristics. Moreover, in a comprehensive view, owing to the difficulty of obtaining logistics data in rural areas, the existing research lacks systematic and quantitative analysis on the layout of rural logistics and distribution facilities and their formation mechanisms. Therefore, this study explores the spatial distribution and clustering characteristics of e-commerce distribution levels in rural areas of China, as well as the influencing factors of rural logistics levels. Data are derived from the administrative village e-commerce distribution points from the third national agricultural census of 2016, and analytical methods such as spatial autocorrelation and ordinary least squares regression models are employed. The level of rural logistics displays a staggered distribution of high and low values, and some regions have homogeneous provincial distribution characteristics between high and low value areas; this is especially significant in Chinese provinces such as Hebei, Jiangsu, and Shandong. Overall, rural logistics distribution in all four major regions of China is at a low average level, but regional differences still exist at the geographic level, with high-high (H-H) agglomeration areas concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta and Bohai regions. The agglomeration phenomenon is particularly significant in Hebei and Zhejiang Provinces. The low-low (L-L) agglomeration area is mainly located in the Sichuan-Tibet region. From the spatial variation characteristics, the increase in the proportion of e-commerce distribution villages at the municipal level has more practical value than the increase in the number alone. Different factors have a differential impact on the level of rural e-commerce distribution construction in each region. Ethnic minority characteristics in the eastern region can enhance the level of rural e-commerce distribution, while ethnic characteristics in the central, western, and northeastern regions do not have a significant impact on the development of such facilities. The development of roads, public transportation, and other infrastructure in the central and western regions has a direct impact on the development of rural logistics and distribution. The more mountainous administrative villages, the worse the level of logistics and distribution construction, and the western and northeastern regions exhibit particularly significant performance. This study adds to the knowledge on the development level of China's rural logistics, helps promote the development of rural e-commerce, provides a solid foundation for the implementation of a rural revitalization strategy, and enhances the purposeful and scientific construction of rural distribution points.
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