Poverty alleviation through government-led e-commerce development in rural China: An activity theory perspective

This paper uses activity theoretic analyses to investigate the role of governments in developing rural e-commerce ecosystems and the effects of such ecosystems on poverty alleviation. On the basis of a case study of Longnan, one of the poorest regions in China, this paper reports and analyses the various actions taken by local governments in nurturing, supporting, and regulating the development of a local rural e-commerce ecosystem and using this ecosystem to transform poverty alleviation. Our study articulates a model of poverty alleviation through e-commerce. By documenting and theorizing the mechanisms underlying rural e-commerce development and poverty alleviation through e-commerce as well as governments' role in developing and sustaining them, this paper contributes to establishing a "theory of the solution" to the grand challenge of poverty alleviation both in China and globally.