Based on in-depth field research conducted in China between 2019 and 2023, this book raises a concept of “rightful control” and demonstrates a new means of dispute resolution used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) through digital technology and its impact on state-society relations.
The author argues that when rightful control relies more on means beyond law and policy, it not only fails to construct an image of a responsible state but also leads to the counterproductive result of creating new conflicts that may bring social instability and threaten regime legitimacy. The study explains why digital technology could only perform a limited role in strengthening social control, which adds a new dimension to state-society relations in China from the perspective of digital governance.
The book will attract researchers and students studying law, political science, and sociology, and government personnel who focus on digital governance.
I Introduction II New Mechanisms of Dispute Resolution in China III Rightful Control under Authoritarianism IV Typical Cases of Rightful Control V The Effects of Rightful Control: Why Digital Technology Impedes Rather Than Facilitates Dispute Settlement? VI Conclusion: The Changing State-Society Relations in Digital China
Biography
Jieren Hu is a professor at the Law School in Hangzhou City University and a visiting professor at the Faculty of Law and Sociology in Qinghai Normal University. Her research focuses on mediation, dispute resolution, and social governance in China.
“This empirically grounded and theoretically sound book offers a fascinating delve into the way the Chinese regime uses digital technology to manage social discontent. It also documents its negative impact on both individual rights and social governance, and the way it might backlash.”
Chloé Froissart, Professor of Political Science at Inalco
“Using rigorous empirical methods, Prof. Jieren Hu in this book explores the ever increasing role of digital technologies in the governance of China. This study will be of value to anyone interested in the social and governmental power of digital technologies, in China and throughout the world. ”
Joshua Mauldin, Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, New Jersey
