Against the backdrop of China’s integrated rural revitalization and digitalization strategies, advancing the digital transformation of rural emergency management has become crucial for enhancing grassroots governance capabilities. This study aims to systematically examine the underlying mechanisms through which digital technologies empower rural emergency management. By developing an analytical framework that integrates digital infrastructure, collaborative governance networks, emergency response capacity, and comprehensive rural resilience, and applying a multi-criteria decision-making model, we identify the causal structures and driving pathways among key factors. The findings indicate that residents’ safety resilience, the level of digital equipment in rescue teams, and industrial recovery capacity serve as core drivers within the system. Meanwhile, the intelligent dispatch capability of emergency supplies acts as a central hub linking technological application with operational effectiveness. Pathway analysis further reveals a progressive empowerment logic described as “strengthening foundational resilience, enhancing coordinated dispatch, improving industrial recovery.” This study not only deepens the understanding of the complex process of digital empowerment but, more importantly, offers policymakers a clear action plan: in resource allocation and capacity building, priority should be given to synergistically advancing the above key drivers and hub elements to achieve systemic improvement in the effectiveness and resilience of rural emergency management.
Wang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.