China's Digital Authoritarianism

This book provides a governance perspective on China's digital authoritarianism by examining the political and institutional dynamics of the country's internet sector in a historical context. Using leading theories of authoritarian institutions, it discusses China's approach to the internet and methods of implementation in terms of party-state institutions and policy processes. This provides a much-needed 'inside out' perspective on digital authoritarianism that avoids the perception of China as some coherent and static monolith. The study also offers a powerful rationale for China's cyber sovereignty as an externalisation of its domestic internet governance framework and broader political-economic context. As China shifts from rule-taker to rule-maker in world politics, the Chinese Dream (zhongguo meng) is now going global. Beijing's digital authoritarian toolkit is being promoted and exported to other authoritarian regimes, making China a major driver of digital repression at the global level.

Offers a novel perspective on Chinese internet governance Adopts a state-centric perspective in analyzing China's endeavor to create digital authoritarianism Adds an international dimension to studying Chinese internet governance

Autorentext

Monique Taylor is University Lecturer in World Politics at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

Inhalt

1. Building Digital Authoritarianism: From the Great Firewall to the New IP.- 2. Authoritarian Governance and China's Party-Centric Model.- 3. Internet Governance during the Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao Eras.- 4. Digital Authoritarianism in the Xi Jinping Era.- 5. A Party-Led Internet Economy.- 6. China's Digital Authoritarianism Goes Global.- 7. Conclusion.