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The Microfoundations of Authoritarian Responsiveness: E-Participation, Social Unrest and Public Policy in China

Descripción del proyecto

Arrojar luz sobre los microfundamentos de la capacidad de respuesta del régimen

China es un país conocido por su notable éxito económico, pero las raíces socialistas del país y el persistente poder del Partido Comunista plantean una intrigante paradoja. La clave reside en los aparentemente altos índices de apoyo público, a pesar de la extrema desigualdad de ingresos y el creciente malestar social. ¿Sería la rápida mejora de la participación electrónica en China el eslabón perdido? El equipo del proyecto RESPONSIVENESS, financiado por el Consejo Europeo de Investigación, desvela las consecuencias de una mayor participación electrónica en China. Al estudiar cómo los gobernantes chinos incorporan los intereses sociales a la formulación de políticas y cómo estas decisiones influyen en la propensión del público a expresar sus demandas, en RESPONSIVENESS se ahonda en la intrincada interacción de las quejas en línea, el malestar social y las políticas públicas. Los resultados ofrecerán valiosas perspectivas sobre cómo el Partido Comunista aplaza el antagonismo que condujo a las revoluciones en otras naciones.

Objetivo

"China’s success story of the past three decades is seen as an anomaly. Market-based reforms have generated an economic system that can hardly be described as socialist anymore, but the Communist Party of China remains in power. Although social unrest is on the rise, the CCP enjoys the consent of the overwhelming majority of its people. Most agree that China’s economic performance is the key to solving this apparent puzzle, but how can extraordinary high rates of public support be maintained in a country where income inequality is so extreme?
We believe that the answer to this question lies in the responsiveness of China’s authoritarian one-party regime to popular demands and grievances, a capability that has so far been attributed only to democratic regimes. We further believe that the rapid improvement of e-participation, the opportunity to evaluate public services on the Internet, has greatly facilitated regime responsiveness - China’s score in the United Nations e-participation index is higher than the European average. We suggest, however, that as the government increasingly calibrates public policy towards satisfying the demand of China’s netizens, the ""technologically illiterate"" are forced to express their demands in public protests and other forms of social unrest.
The proposed project sheds light on the intended and unintended consequences of enhanced e-participation in China by exploring which social interests China’s rulers incorporate into public policy making, and how these decisions influence the propensity of particular social groups to voice their demands by either participating online or taking to the streets. By exploring the “complex system” in which online complaints, social unrest and public policy interact, the project provides insights into the micro-foundations of regime responsiveness in China. It thereby increases our knowledge of how the CCP seeks to defer the antagonism that prompted the revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia and Syria."

Régimen de financiación

ERC-STG - Starting Grant

Institución de acogida

UNIVERSITAT WIEN
Aportación neta de la UEn
€ 1 292 440,00
Dirección
UNIVERSITATSRING 1
1010 Wien
Austria

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Región
Ostösterreich Wien Wien
Tipo de actividad
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Enlaces
Coste total
€ 1 292 440,00

Beneficiarios (1)