How Can Digital Village Construction Drive High-quality Integrated Urban-rural Development?A Dynamic QCA Analysis Based on Provincial Panel Data from 30 Regions in China

Based on provincial-level panel data from 30 regions covering the period 2018–2022, this study examines the configurational pathways and dynamic evolution through which digital village development promotes integrated urban-rural development, drawing on resource dependence theory and dynamic capabilities theory. The results show that no single component of digital village development constitutes a necessary condition for achieving high-quality urban-rural integration across different stages. Instead, four configurational pathways are identified: the digital economy–led model, the digital economy–livelihood dual-driver model, the digital economy–governance synergy model, and the comprehensive digital innovation application model. Furthermore, the dominant driving mechanism gradually shifts from the digital economy–led and digital economy–livelihood dual-driver models toward the digital economy–governance synergy model and the comprehensive digital innovation application model. This shift suggests that as digital village development becomes more comprehensive and in-depth, the synergistic effects of rural digital economy, livelihood improvement, and governance modernization play an increasingly important role in advancing urban-rural integration. Accordingly, regions should emphasize the coordinated integration of key elements in digital village development and adopt differentiated strategies suited to local conditions and developmental stages, thereby promoting high-quality urban-rural integration through more effective digital village initiatives.