Does Rural E‐Commerce Reduce Street Crime? Evidence From Taobao Villages in China

Rural e‐commerce development is believed to generate positive economic effects, but little research examines its other social effects. We study whether the emergence of Taobao villages reduces property‐related street and neighborhood crime at the county level in China. Using a panel of 2,872 counties from 2014 to 2019, we estimate this effect using a difference‐in‐differences approach. The results show that counties with Taobao villages experience a significant decline in property‐related street and neighborhood crime. By showing that Taobao villages may also affect local public safety, these findings extend the literature on rural e‐commerce beyond its traditional focus on economic outcomes to broader social outcomes.