1st Edition

Rethinking Scholarly Communication in China A Political Economy Approach

By Liu Zhongbo Copyright 2025
    134 Pages
    by Routledge

    This book examines science and technology policies in China over time and explores the development of scholarly communication through the lens of the political economy of communication.

    Despite political censorship and restrictions on the production of academic knowledge in China, the number of scholarly publications has skyrocketed over the past 20 years. By explaining these seemingly contradictory phenomena, this study provides insight into the complex landscape of scholarly communication in China, shaped by the government in collaboration with commercial publishers. The book examines the dynamic relationship between the state and the market, including their key players, which determines the production and dissemination of academic knowledge. From a political economy perspective, it investigates how the academic governance complex, a system that intertwines communication, politics and economics, has been established in China. It then discusses the impact of this system on the production of academic knowledge in the country.

    The title will serve as a key reference for academics, researchers and students interested in the intersection of communication studies, librarianship, and political science, particularly those focusing on China's academic knowledge production and scholarly communication.

    1. Introduction: Rethinking Scholarly Communication in China  2. Scholarly Communication in Transformation: Scientific Literature as ‘National Intelligence’  3. Publication under Research Reward Systems in Chinese Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study During the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan”  4. Predatory Journals and Chinese Academic Community  5. The gatekeeper of Scholarly Communication: How China National Knowledge Infrastructure Affects Academic Journal Publishing in China  6. Conclusion: The Political Economy of Scholarly Communication

    Biography

    Liu Zhongbo is an associate professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Huaqiao University, China. His research fields include scholarly communication, political economics of communication, and communication theory.