Public value management in rural China through digital engagement, identity recognition and moral legitimacy

This study investigates how public value is constructed in rural governance through the interplay of digital civic embeddedness, moral legitimacy, procedural inclusion, and eco-cultural identity salience. Drawing on Public Value Theory (PVT), Social Identity Theory (SIT), and Digital Citizenship Theory (DCT), the study develops and empirically tests a structural model using survey data from 412 rural residents in Henan Province, China. Results from PLS-SEM analysis reveal that while digital civic embeddedness does not directly enhance perceived public value, it significantly influences it through procedural inclusion and identity salience. Moral legitimacy of local officials emerges as a key antecedent, positively affecting both mediators and public value perceptions. Furthermore, trust spillover to central government moderates these relationships, weakening the impact of procedural inclusion and strengthening the effect of identity salience. The findings contribute to theory by introducing a multi-level, psychologically grounded model of public value construction and by reframing digital citizenship as conditional on perceived fairness and cultural resonance. Practically, the study calls for identity-sensitive, ethically grounded, and procedurally inclusive governance strategies that go beyond digital access to cultivate trust and legitimacy in transforming rural contexts. Implications extend to digital policy design, leadership development, and symbolic co-production in public administration.