Serving the people by controlling them: How the party is reinserting itself into daily life
Over the past decades, China’s government has created one of the world’s most powerful digital surveillance systems that is seamlessly integrated into citizens’ daily lives. In July, for instance, the country officially introduced a national digital ID system, establishing a centralized platform for real-name verification of internet users.
Yet the human side of social governance in China is equally important, say MERICS experts Nis Grünberg, Katja Drinhausen and Alexander Davey. In this new MERICS report, they explore how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been expanding its presence at the grassroots level – from private companies to urban communities and villages.
About the speakers
Nis Grünberg
Lead Analyst at Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS)
State-party relations; elite politics; China’s sustainable development
Katja Drinhausen
Head of Program at Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS)
China’s legal and governance system; Social Credit System; Human rights
Alexander Davey
Analyst at Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS)
CCP political discourse and organization, party-state policymaking, and social policy and development