Technological-Institutional Co-Evolution in Agricultural Systems: A Unified Framework of Smart Farming, Rural E-Commerce, and Digital Governance

Paraschos Maniatis
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Paraschos Maniatis: Business Administration Department, Athens University of Economics and Business, 104 34 Athens, Greece

Agricultural & Rural Studies, 2026, vol. 4, issue 2

Abstract: This study advances the agricultural systems literature by theorizing and empirically validating the co-evolution of digital technologies and institutional governance in rural transformation. While prior research has examined precision agriculture, rural e-commerce, and digital governance separately, this paper develops a unified Technological-Institutional Co-Evolution Model that positions digital governance as an endogenous, mediating force within agricultural innovation systems. Using a stratified multi-actor dataset (N = 320) of farmers, agri-tech entrepreneurs, and rural officials, the study applies a mixed-methods approach combining instrumental variable (2SLS) estimation and structural equation modeling (SEM) to address endogeneity and estimate both direct and indirect effects. Results show that digital technology adoption significantly increases perceived agricultural productivity (β = 0.64, p

Keywords: Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS); digital agriculture; digital governance; rural transformation; structural equation modeling (SEM); transaction costs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:sccars:022817

DOI: 10.59978/ar04020012

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