Control Variables.

Counties, as fundamental administrative units in China, play a pivotal role in advancing digital inclusive finance and improving public services. Despite their significance in bridging regional disparities and promoting grassroots development, research focusing specifically on counties remains insufficient. This article aims to explore the relationship between digital inclusive finance and county-level public service quality by constructing a comprehensive evaluation system. Selecting data from 1445 counties across three regions of China between 2008 and 2022, public service quality across five dimensions—education, healthcare, ecology, municipal, and transportation facilities—is assessed through the entropy weighting method. Empirical analyses using threshold, intermediary, and moderation effect models reveal that digital inclusive finance enhances livelihood-related services but negatively affects infrastructure-related services. A “U-shaped” nonlinear trend is identified in the impact of credit depth, with the development of the primary industry mitigating negative effects. Mediation analysis shows that digital inclusive finance can improve public services through two pathways: boosting the tertiary industry and increasing financial institution loans. This article offers theoretical and practical guidance for integrating digital inclusive finance to enhance the quality and equity of county-level public services.

作为中国基层行政单元，县域在推进数字普惠金融发展、提升公共服务水平方面发挥着关键作用。尽管县域在缩小区域差距、推动基层发展中意义重大，但针对县域层面的专项研究仍较为匮乏。本文旨在通过构建综合评价体系，探究数字普惠金融与县域公共服务质量之间的关联。本文选取2008至2022年中国三大区域共1445个县域的数据，采用熵权法对教育、医疗、生态、市政、交通设施五大维度的公共服务质量进行评价。通过门槛效应、中介效应与调节效应模型开展的实证分析结果显示：数字普惠金融能够提升民生类公共服务水平，但对基础设施类公共服务产生负向影响。信贷深度的影响呈现出“U型”非线性特征，第一产业发展可缓解其负向影响。中介效应分析表明，数字普惠金融可通过两条路径提升公共服务质量：一是推动第三产业发展，二是增加金融机构贷款投放。本文可为整合数字普惠金融资源以提升县域公共服务质量与公平性提供理论与实践指导。