|
|
|
| Terminal Infrastructure Construction and Inclusive Growth in Rural: Based on the Role of Courier Service in the National Unified Market |
| ZOU Wei, LU Yuanping
|
| School of Public Finance and Taxation/Innovation and Talent Base for Income Distribution and Public Finance, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law |
|
|
|
Abstract Terminal infrastructure, exemplified by courier service points, constitutes a critical factor for developing countries in advancing major construction projects, establishing social credit systems, and sustaining national economic growth (Devoto et al., 2012; Wang et al., 2022; Cao et al., 2023). Existing research has identified large-scale infrastructure such as airports, railways, and highways as pivotal for building integrated national markets (Donaldson, 2018; Zhang et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2019). However, little literature has examined the role of terminal infrastructure in fostering such unified markets. In reality, as a crucial carrier of terminal infrastructure, express delivery logistics has become a vital channel for transporting agricultural products to urban markets and delivering consumer goods to rural areas. Notably, the formation of rural logistics networks benefits villages previously excluded by large-scale infrastructure, not only bridging the “last-mile” gap for consumption in remote and underdeveloped villages but also serving as the “first-mile” channel for agricultural products entering urban markets.
This paper makes two primary contributions. Firstly, while existing studies analyze the economic effects of large-scale hub-type infrastructure like roads, railways, ports, and bridges (Aschauer, 1989; Demurger, 2001; Brueckner, 2003; Zhang X., 2012; Giroud and Mueller, 2015; Zhang et al., 2018), research on terminal infrastructure remains inadequate. This study helps fill this gap by providing causal evidence demonstrating that terminal infrastructure construction substantially impacts rural growth. Secondly, prior research using field experiments shows E-commerce platforms alleviate rural logistics barriers and reduce living costs (Couture et al., 2021). However, limited sample sizes and short observation periods raise concerns about external validity and generalizability (Deaton, 2010; Li et al., 2020). Leveraging comprehensive courier service points data matched with China's Rural Fixed Observation Point Survey, we construct a high-quality household-level panel dataset characterized by extensive geographical coverage and a large sample size. This enables richer heterogeneity analysis and explores the micro-mechanisms through which terminal infrastructure promotes growth over extended periods.
Using this combined dataset, we employ a staggered Difference-in-differences (DID) approach to assess terminal infrastructure's impact on rural growth. Results indicate that courier service significantly boosts the income growth of rural residents, particularly improving wealth in economically disadvantaged villages, thereby advancing inclusive growth in China. In terms of mechanisms, courier service access increases farmers' online consumption participation, reducing household expenditure and accelerating wealth accumulation. Convenient logistics expands consumer markets, diversifies agricultural sales channels for rural enterprises, and creates employment and income opportunities. We conduct rigorous checks and address endogeneity. To mitigate biases in staggered DID estimation, we apply methods by Callaway & Sant’Anna (2021) and Sun & Abraham (2021). To exclude confounding factors such as extended pre-treatment windows, E-commerce Demonstration County initiatives, digital finance development, service area changes, high-speed rail openings, agricultural surveys, and village size disparities, we employ sample trimming, additional controls, and placebo tests. The results support the above conclusions.
This paper has significant policy implications. Terminal logistics is essential for urban-rural goods flow. It is therefore important to further simplify the courier service points registration procedures and promote online filing, which will accelerate integrated national market development. Terminal infrastructure deployment requires government-market coordination. Enhancing joint distribution systems by integrating postal services, express delivery, transportation, supply chains, and commercial resources in rural areas—through models like postal-express and express-express collaboration—is critical. Alongside terminal infrastructure, expanding network infrastructure and educational resources is vital. Improving rural human capital and internet access ensures farmers efficiently benefit from courier services.
|
|
Received: 25 September 2024
Published: 01 August 2025
|
|
|
|
|
| [1] |
曹光宇、周黎安和刘畅等,2023,《共享单车平台进驻对城市空气质量的影响》,《经济学(季刊)》第2期,第801～817页。
|
| [2] |
陈东和秦子洋, 2022,《人工智能与包容性增长——来自全球工业机器人使用的证据》,《经济研究》第4期,第85～102页。
|
| [3] |
刘晓光、张勋和方文全, 2015,《基础设施的城乡收入分配效应:基于劳动力转移的视角》,《世界经济》第3期,第145～170页。
|
| [4] |
刘冲、刘晨冉和孙腾,2019,《交通基础设施、金融约束与县域产业发展——基于“国道主干线系统”自然实验的证据》,《管理世界》第7期,第78～88+203页。
|
| [5] |
刘志彪, 2022,《全国统一大市场》,《经济研究》第5期,第13～22页。
|
| [6] |
林嵩、谷承应和斯晓夫等, 2023,《县域创业活动、农民增收与共同富裕——基于中国县级数据的实证研究》,《经济研究》第3期,第40～58页。
|
| [7] |
李涵和冷萱,2023,《超大规模市场、物流效率与线上消费》,《经济研究》第11期,第190～208页。
|
| [8] |
李芳华、张阳阳和郑新业, 2020,《精准扶贫政策效果评估——基于贫困人口微观追踪数据》,《经济研究》第8期,第171～187页。
|
| [9] |
黎蔺娴和边恕, 2021,《经济增长、收入分配与贫困:包容性增长的识别与分解》,《经济研究》第2期,第54～70页。
|
| [10] |
彭代彦和吴宝新,2008,《农村内部的收入差距与农民的生活满意度》,《世界经济》第4期,第79～85页。
|
| [11] |
沈春苗和郑江淮, 2022,《中国制造业劳动收入份额变化:宏观替代弹性视角》,《经济研究》第5期,第106～123页。
|
| [12] |
宋敏、卢洁宜和赵婧等, 2024,《中国特色交通基础设施建设:高铁、知识溢出与区域创新协调发展》,《金融研究》第5期,第95～113页。
|
| [13] |
王奇、谢凯、秦芳和牛耕等, 2022,《市场可达性与农村家庭消费——来自“快递下乡”工程的证据》,《中国农村经济》第12期, 第106~123页。
|
| [14] |
谢锐、陈湘杰和朱帮助,2020,《价值链分工网络中心国经济增长的全球包容性研究》,《管理世界》第12期,第65～77页。
|
| [15] |
尹志超、刘泰星和王晓全, 2020,《农村收入差距抑制了农户创业吗？——基于流动性约束与人力资本投资视角的实证分析》,《中国农村经济》第5期,第76～95页。
|
| [16] |
张勋、王旭、万广华和孙芳城, 2018,《交通基础设施促进经济增长的一个综合框架》, 《经济研究》第1期,第50～64页。
|
| [17] |
张学良, 2012,《中国交通基础设施促进了区域经济增长吗——兼论交通基础设施的空间溢出效应》,《中国社会科学》第3期,第60～77+206页。
|
| [18] |
张克中和陶东杰, 2016,《交通基础设施的经济分布效应——来自高铁开通的证据》,《经济学动态》第6期,第62～73页。
|
| [19] |
张勋和万广华,2016,《中国的农村基础设施促进了包容性增长吗？》, 《经济研究》第10期,第82～96页。
|
| [20] |
邹伟和梁平汉,2019,《腾飞的翅膀:机场属地化改革与企业库存》,《统计研究》第11期,第76～89页。
|
| [21] |
Aggarwal, S., “Do Rural Roads Create Pathways out of Poverty？ Evidence from India”, Journal of Development Economics, 2018,133,375～395.
|
| [22] |
Asher, S., and Novosad, P.,“Rural Roads and Local Economic Development”, American Economic Review, 2020,110(3), 797～823.
|
| [23] |
Aschauer, D. A., “Is Public Expenditure Productive？”, Journal of Monetary Economics, 1989, 23(2), 177～200.
|
| [24] |
Brueckner, J. K., “Airline Traffic and Urban Economic Development”, Urban Studies, 2003,40(8), 1455～1469.
|
| [25] |
Callaway, B., and Sant’Anna, P. H., “Difference-in-Differences with Multiple Time Periods”, Journal of Econometrics, 2021,225(2), 200～230.
|
| [26] |
Clark, X., Dollar, D., and Micco, A., “Port Efficiency, Maritime Transport Costs, and Bilateral Trade”, Journal of Development Economics, 2004,75(2), 417～450.
|
| [27] |
Coşar, A. K., and Demir, B. “Shipping Inside the Box: Containerization and Trade”, Journal of International Economics, 2018, 114(1), 331～345.
|
| [28] |
Couture, V., Faber, B., Gu, Y., and Liu, L., “Connecting the Countryside via E-commerce: Evidence from China”, American Economic Review: Insights, 2021,3(1), 35～50.
|
| [29] |
Datta, A., and Agarwal, S., “Telecommunications and Economic Growth: A Panel Data Approach”, Applied Economics, 2004, 36(15), 1649～1654.
|
| [30] |
Deaton, A., “Instruments, Randomization, and Learning about Development”, Journal of Economic Literaturey, 2010,48(2), 424～455.
|
| [31] |
Devoto, F., Duflo, E., Dupas, P., Parienté, W., and Pons, V., “Happiness on Tap: Piped Water Adoption in Urban Morocco”, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2012,4(4), 68～99.
|
| [32] |
Donaldson, D., “Railroads of the Raj: Estimating the Impact of Transportation Infrastructure”, American Economic Review, 2018,108(4-5), 899～934.
|
| [33] |
Démurger, S., “Infrastructure Development and Economic Growth: An Explanation for Regional Disparities in China？”, Journal of Comparative Economics, 2001,29(1), 95～117.
|
| [34] |
Du, Q., Wei, S. J., and Xie, P., “Roads and the Real Exchange Rate”, National Bureau of Economic Research, 2013,No.19291.
|
| [35] |
Giroud, X., and Mueller, H. M., “Capital and Labor Reallocation within Firms”, The Journal of Finance, 2015,70(1),1767～1804.
|
| [36] |
Lehne, J., Shapiro, J. N., and Eynde, O. V., “Building Connections: Political Corruption and Road Construction in India”, Journal of Development Economics, 2018,131, 62～78.
|
| [37] |
Rodríguez-Pose, A., and Crescenzi, R., “Research and Development, Spillovers, Innovation Systems, and the Genesis of Regional Growth in Europe”, Regional Studies, 2008,42(10),51～67.
|
| [38] |
Sun, L. and Abraham, S., “Estimating Dynamic Treatment Effects in Event Studies with Heterogeneous Treatment Effects”, Journal of Econometrics, 2021,225(2), 175～199.
|
| [39] |
Wang, C., Lin, Q., and Qiu, Y., “Productivity Loss Amid Invisible Pollution”, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2022,112, No.102638.
|
|
|
|
