Publicity-driven accountability in China
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Political Science, 2013.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | eng |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84853 |
| _version_ | 1811073543243300864 |
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| author | Distelhorst, Gregory Michael |
| author2 | Edward Steinfeld. |
| author_facet | Edward Steinfeld. Distelhorst, Gregory Michael |
| author_sort | Distelhorst, Gregory Michael |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Political Science, 2013. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:34:38Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/84853 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T09:34:38Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/848532019-04-10T11:16:05Z Publicity-driven accountability in China Distelhorst, Gregory Michael Edward Steinfeld. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Political Science. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Political Science. Political Science. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Political Science, 2013. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references. What, if anything, renders unelected bureaucrats accountable to the public? This thesis draws upon field research on contemporary China's news media, officials, and activists to theorize the role of publicity in non-electoral accountability. "Publicity-driven accountability" argues that even in highly undemocratic settings officials respond to critical media coverage for two reasons: revealing agency slippage and producing common knowledge about government failings. This mechanism empowers the news media and individual citizens even when formal political rights are severely curtailed, producing a degree of public accountability within authoritarian institutions. The study begins with original evidence that China's Internet news outlets created forms of journalistic autonomy within the constraints of state censorship. Next it documents the sensitivity of Chinese officials to negative media coverage with an original survey experiment on local bureaucrats. The third empirical chapter provides case studies of contemporary activists in China wielding publicity to change the behavior of unelected officials. Publicity-driven accountability has consequences for theories of political development and the roles of both authority and information in aligning nondemocratic governance with the public interest. by Gregory Michael Distelhorst. Ph.D. 2014-02-10T16:54:45Z 2014-02-10T16:54:45Z 2013 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84853 868233810 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 122 pages application/pdf a-cc--- Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Political Science. Distelhorst, Gregory Michael Publicity-driven accountability in China |
| title | Publicity-driven accountability in China |
| title_full | Publicity-driven accountability in China |
| title_fullStr | Publicity-driven accountability in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Publicity-driven accountability in China |
| title_short | Publicity-driven accountability in China |
| title_sort | publicity driven accountability in china |
| topic | Political Science. |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/84853 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT distelhorstgregorymichael publicitydrivenaccountabilityinchina |