Rural digital governance (RDG) has emerged as an innovative practice that integrates digital technologies into governance processes in rural areas. Its innovation effectiveness is widely believed to stem not from isolated factors but from the synergistic interaction of multiple conditions. However, existing research lacks dynamic and configurational perspectives for explaining the innovation-driven mechanisms underlying RDG effectiveness. This study aims to identify the configurational pathways through which innovation enhances the effectiveness of RDG.
Drawing on the technology–organization–environment framework, this study aims to analyze 23 county-level cases in China using crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis. It examines the combined effects of infrastructure support, government guidance, financial assistance, social collaboration and farmer participation on RDG effectiveness.
Three dominant pathways emerge: (1) foundational breakthrough, (2) resource optimization, and (3) system maturity. Government facilitation can initially compensate for infrastructure deficiencies, while infrastructure-society synergy can substitute for direct government-financial input, and integrated multidimensional conditions underpin advanced coordinated governance. Coordinated strategies that integrate infrastructure support, government guidance, financial backing, social collaboration and farmer participation are therefore essential. These pathways demonstrate that no single optimal model exists; rather, the innovation effectiveness of RDG arises from context-specific, synergistic configurations of technological, organizational and environmental conditions. These findings suggest that policymakers should adopt stage-based and context-sensitive strategies to enhance RDG effectiveness.
This study advances configurational research on RDG by uncovering innovation-driven mechanisms based on multifactor synergy. By identifying three distinct innovation pathways, it contributes a novel typology of RDG as configurational system innovation and offers differentiated policy recommendations suited to regions at varying stages of development.
