Definition of variables.

The unprecedented expansion and development of high-speed rail (HSR) in China provides a unique opportunity and a new way of thinking for addressing the problem of urban-rural wealth disparities. In this paper, I examine the impact of the introduction of HSRs on the income disparity between urban and rural residents in China. Using panel data from 285 prefecture-level cities from 2004 to 2018, in this paper I employ the double-difference method to assess the impact of HSR on the income gap between urban and rural populations and the mechanism of its action; furthermore, I explore the influence of HSR on urban residents’ per capita disposable income and rural residents’ per capita net income, as well as the impact of HSR on the flow of elements such as labor and capital. My research findings reveal that the introduction of HSR has greatly widened the income gap between urban and rural residents; however, there is heterogeneity between different East, Central, and West regions, as well as between different levels of cities. A further mechanism study finds that HSR lowers farmers’ per capita net income, raises urban residents’ per capita disposable income, and widens the urban/rural income gap via mechanisms such as facilitating the interregional mobility of labor and capital factors. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively assess the economic effects brought about by HSR, strengthen the construction of urban-rural transport networks, and improve support for rural areas, so as to promote the coordinated development of inter-regional and urban-rural areas.

中国高铁（high-speed rail, HSR）史无前例的扩张与发展，为破解城乡财富差距难题提供了独特机遇与全新思路。本文考察中国高铁开通对城乡居民收入差距的影响。本文采用2004至2018年285个地级市的面板数据，运用双重差分法评估高铁对城乡居民收入差距的影响及其作用机制；此外，本文还探讨了高铁对城镇居民人均可支配收入、农村居民人均纯收入的影响，以及高铁对劳动力、资本等要素流动的作用。本研究结果表明，高铁开通显著拉大了城乡居民收入差距，但在东部、中部、西部不同区域以及不同层级城市间存在异质性。进一步的机制检验发现，高铁通过促进劳动力与资本要素的跨区域流动，降低了农村居民人均纯收入，提升了城镇居民人均可支配收入，进而扩大了城乡收入差距。因此，有必要全面评估高铁带来的经济效应，加强城乡交通网络建设，加大对农村地区的扶持力度，以促进区域与城乡协调发展。