Social Credit: The Warring States of China’s Emerging Data Empire

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Springer Nature, May 30, 2023 - Political Science - 204 pages

China’s Social Credit System has fundamentally re-shaped global notions of surveillance, making it into European Union legislation and hundreds of media headlines. Drawing on a rich body of empirical evidence, this book offers one of the first comprehensive assessments of this infamous system, from its fragmented implementation to its implications for both human rights and the market order. Surprisingly, it illustrates even China's government is confused about this messy initiative. Separating fact from fiction, Social Credit is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in technology, governance, and surveillance in China and beyond.


 

Contents

1 Introduction
1
2 The Social Credit Systems Emergence and Global Roots
17
3 The Policy Umbrella of Social Credit
39
A Policy History of the Social Credit System 20022020
70
5 No Credit for Culprits
105
The COVID19 Pandemic and Its Aftermath
133
Anatomy of Social Credit Scoring
159
8 The Future of the Social Credit System
187
Index
196
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About the author (2023)

Vincent Brussee is an Analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, Europe’s largest think tank and research institute on contemporary China. He is the institute’s lead researcher on the Social Credit System. In addition to publishing extensively for MERICS, his work has been featured in Foreign Policy, the Diplomat, and various national outlets in Europe. He holds a graduate degree with the highest distinction in Asian Studies from Leiden University (the Netherlands), focusing on China’s domestic governance.

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