Abstract: Since the initiation of China's reform and opening-up,the nation has made remarkable strides in its socialist modernization efforts.In the early stages,rapid economic and social development was prioritized to meet the immediate developmental needs,emphasizing industrial growth and urbanization to lift large segments of the population out of poverty and underdevelopment.This approach was aligned with the urgent need to build a robust economic foundation.However,as the economy advanced and reached higher levels of development,the focus shifted towards optimizing overall developmental efficiency and addressing imbalances to prevent the “wooden bucket effect”, where the weakest link constrains progress.Among these imbalances,the urban-rural divide remains a significant challenge,with substantial disparities in development,public services,and income distribution between urban and rural areas.These disparities not only hinder overall national development but also exacerbate social inequalities and tensions.Reducing these disparities is crucial for achieving coordinated development and resolving the fundamental contradictions in Chinese society,ensuring that the benefits of modernization and economic growth are more evenly distributed across different regions and communities. Cadres with experience as county party secretaries typically possess a profound understanding of grassroots conditions,strong connections with the populace,especially farmers,and a deep insight into urban-rural disparities.This uniquely positions them to facilitate coordinated urban-rural development.Their hands-on experience at the county level enables them to identify and address the specific needs and challenges faced by rural communities,thereby fostering a more inclusive growth model.Therefore,this research examines the impact of county governance experience on the governance performance and policy approaches of prefectural party secretaries,focusing on their effectiveness in promoting urban-rural coordination and narrowing the urban-rural income gap.By evaluating how these leaders leverage their grassroots experience to implement policies that bridge the urban-rural divide,this study aims to provide insights into effective governance strategies that support balanced and sustainable development. This study investigates the impact of county governance experience on prefectural party secretaries governance performance and policy approaches in promoting urban-rural coordinated development and reducing the urban-rural income gap.Utilizing prefecture-level annual panel data from 2001 to 2019,we conduct an empirical analysis.Our findings indicate that prefectural party secretaries with prior experience as county party secretaries are more effective in narrowing the urban-rural income gap in their jurisdictions.This result remains robust across various empirical models.We also perform a parallel trend test within the Difference-in-Differences (DID) framework proposed by Liu et al.(2022),confirming the causal significance of our findings.Heterogeneity analysis of work experience reveals two key insights:First,there is an additive effect of grassroots governance experience at different levels.Secretaries who have also served as township party secretaries achieve more pronounced results in reducing the urban-rural income gap.Second,the type of county-level administrative experience matters.Serving in counties within the same prefecture,non-municipal districts,and major agricultural counties has a more significant impact.Regional heterogeneity analysis shows that if a prefectural party secretarys jurisdiction includes national-level poverty counties,their county governance experience significantly enhances their ability to narrow the urban-rural income gap.This reflects the matching effect between officials work experience and regional development endowments.Micro-level household data analysis indicates that one specific mechanism driving this effect is the improvement of agricultural production and income for rural residents.Regarding specific policy measures,prefectural party secretaries with county governance experience tend to place a higher emphasis on agricultural work in their government reports.This leads to higher levels of agricultural modernization,improved agricultural production standards,and significantly better rural financial supply. This paper makes two significant contributions to the literature.First,it examines the impact of grassroots work experience on prefectural party secretaries governance performance and policy approaches,aligning with studies on leaders growth,education,and career experiences.Based on “imprinting theory”, which suggests that formative environments have lasting effects (Simsek et al.,2015),the study explores how pre-career experiences influence policy decisions.For example,secretaries with educated youth experience or those who grew up in impoverished areas tend to invest more in rural development (Du and Xu,2019; Deng,2023).Additionally,higher education levels and international experiences enhance leaders capabilities,such as attracting foreign investment (Gao and Dong,2017),while local governance experience influences policy preferences and effectiveness in regional development (Persson and Zhuravskaya,2016; Zhou et al.,2020).This research fills a gap by focusing on the experience as county party secretaries,providing empirical support for the effectiveness of progressive cadre training,and offering theoretical and policy insights for cadre selection and development. Second,by investigating the effect of county governance experience on urban-rural income gaps,this study contributes to the literature on urban-rural gaps,income distribution,and rural revitalization.Previous researches have highlighted urban-biased policies as key factors in widening these disparities (Zhou and Zhou,2011; Chen and Lin,2013).This paper examines broader policy choices and governance behaviors,tracing them back to leaders career experiences.The findings suggest that leaders with county governance experience are better positioned to promote coordinated urban-rural development and narrow income gaps.This research provides valuable insights for policy-making aimed at rural revitalization,achieving common prosperity,and advancing Chinese-style modernization,by focusing on the rural perspective in policy formulation and implementation.