Abstract
A governance perspective on China’s digital authoritarianism sheds light on the political logic and institutional landscape that characterises the country’s internet governance and policy. Tracing institutional development in the internet sector from early days of the Web in China through to the present, reveals both continuity and change in policy approach, especially from one generation of leaders to the next. This method exposes shifts in modes of governance that have had direct impacts on the content and effectiveness of China’s internet approach. As such, differing modes of governance from one era to the next, and their internet policy implications, is the dimension to be compared in this volume. This chapter introduces the key conceptual contribution of this study—party-centric governance (PCG)—which is used to explain the mode of governance that has emerged during President Xi’s leadership. PCG explains the more assertive, proactive, and ideological internet agenda in China that is evident today.
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Taylor, M. (2022). Building Digital Authoritarianism: From the Great Firewall to the New IP. In: China’s Digital Authoritarianism. Politics and Development of Contemporary China. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11252-2_1
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