The Generative Logic and Configurational Pathways of High Effectiveness among Rural Revitalization Leaders：An NCA and fsQCA Analysis Based on the 2024 “Golden Bull Award” Recipients in Zhejiang Province

Common prosperity leaders in rural revitalization are key actors driving rural development and achieving shared prosperity. How they attain high performance has become a critical issue for both policy practice and academic research. Existing studies have predominantly focused on the linear effects of single factors, failing to systematically reveal the internal logic of synergistic drivers involving multiple elements. To address this gap, this study adopts a configurational theory perspective and selects recipients of the 2024 Zhejiang Golden Bull Award as typical cases. By integrating Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), we construct an analytical framework across three dimensions: personal traits (innovative leadership and entrepreneurial spirit), resource integration (policy resources, digital platform resources, and supply chain resources), and action strategies (technology empowerment and benefit linkage). This framework is used to systematically identify the multiple driving pathways through which common prosperity leaders achieve high performance. The findings indicate that high performance does not depend on any single condition, but rather results from the synergistic interplay of multiple factors. Two equivalent configurational pathways are identified: a digital-technology-driven pathway and a policy-resource-driven pathway. These pathways are functionally complementary in applicable contexts, reflecting a “multiple roads to success” generative mechanism. By examining these configurational pathways, this study provides a novel theoretical explanation for understanding the high performance of common prosperity leaders. It also offers policy insights and practical references for implementing tailored support based on pathway characteristics, building a multi-stakeholder collaborative governance ecosystem, and enhancing leaders’ capacity for self-empowerment.