Power Relationships in China's internet Governance

Abstract

AbstractThe increasing decision‐making power over the Internet by private companies and civil society organizations has constituted a new locus of authority. How has the state related to and engaged with these new private and social actors in Internet governance? And how is power distributed in the engagement between social, private and state actors? This paper explores the roles of private actors and social organizations in internet governance in China, and the patterns and degrees of the power inequality between actors and how autonomous social organizations act in presence of state interference. It applies a network‐governance approach in its analysis, from an analytical perspective, demonstrating power relations between actors. The research is based on the case study of the nonprofit social organization: Beijing Internet Association. The research finds that there is simultaneously increasingly pluralistic societal participation in policy making, as well as the use of indirect tools. The research findings make important contributions to the literature of the power analysis of Internet governance as well as deepening our understanding of the evolving pattern of China's internet governance model and the growing roles of private and social actors.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.