Accountability from cyberspace? Scandal exposure on the Internet and official governance in China

被引:2
|
作者
Chen, Shuo [1 ]
Li, Yiran [2 ]
机构
[1] Fudan Univ, Dept Econ, Shanghai, Peoples R China
[2] Hong Kong Baptist Univ, Dept Govt & Int Studies, Hong Kong, Peoples R China
关键词
China; government accountability; official governance; scandal; social media; SOCIAL MEDIA; FIELD EXPERIMENT; E-GOVERNMENT; AUTHORITARIAN RESPONSIVENESS; CORRUPTION; TRANSPARENCY; WEIBO; COPRODUCTION; POLITICIANS; CENSORSHIP;
D O I
10.1017/psrm.2023.13
中图分类号
D0 [政治学、政治理论];
学科分类号
0302 ; 030201 ;
摘要
This article explores the effects of social media on government accountability under authoritarian regimes. It examines whether online discussions have a disciplining effect on officials' scandals. We use a unique dataset containing records of scandals discussed on microblogs in China to systematically study their effects on the government response process and officials' disciplining. We find that the government employs clear strategies: higher levels of online discussion lead to quicker government responses and more severe punishment of the officials involved. Scandals involving sexual and economic factors, which initially capture more attention, involve quicker responses and more severe punishments. Even when we exploit rainfall as the instrumental variable to mitigate the endogeneity, the results are still robust. Our findings highlight the accountability mechanism facilitated by social media and the power of social media empowerment.
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页码:130 / 145
页数:16
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