Our weekly SRI Seminar Series welcomes Lynette H. Ong, a professor in the Department of Political Science and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, a 2022–24 Schwartz Reisman faculty fellow, and the director of the Munk School China Initiative. Ong’s research interests lie at the intersection of authoritarianism, contentious politics, and development. She is an expert on China, having conducted on-the-ground research in the country since the late 1990s, and recently completed a decade-long study on repression and state power, Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary China (Oxford University Press, 2022).
In this talk, Ong will examine how digital technologies have enabled new forms of control for autocratic governments to co-opt and repress dissent. Exploring the management of online public sentiments in China, Ong demonstrates that the Chinese state outsources various functions of public sentiment management to corporations that provide technical expertise to leverage the use of big data and AI technologies, generating implications for the future of statecraft in the digital age.
Talk title:
“Authoritarian statecraft in the digital age”
Abstract:
The digital age has afforded autocrats new technologies of control, allowing them to co-opt, pre-empt, and repress dissent. But, in what ways has it altered the way autocratic states conduct their statecraft? In this paper, we address this research question by examining how the Chinese state manages and shapes online public sentiments to its advantage.
Public opinions are a double-edged sword in autocratic settings. While they allow the rulers to gauge public sentiments and become more responsive to citizens’ demands, they can also spiral out of control and destabilize regimes. Thus, the management of online public sentiments provides a critical window into understanding how the state conducts its statecraft in the digital age. Based on an analysis of public procurement documents, we found that the Chinese state has outsourced various functions of public sentiments management to private and state-owned corporations. These corporations provide technical expertise that allow the state to harness big data and artificial intelligence to manage online expression. This paper draws broader implications for the new performance of statecraft in the digital age, one that is based on state-business collaboration.
Suggested reading:
Ong, Lynette H. Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary China. Oxford University Press, 2022.
Ong, Lynette H. The Street and the Ballot Box. Cambridge University Press, 2022.
About Lynette Ong
Lynette H. Ong is a professor in the Department of Political Science and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto. She is an expert on China, having conducted on-the-ground research in the country since the late 1990s. In addition, she has also published on the broader Indo-Pacific region, including Southeast Asia and India. Her research interests lie at the intersection of authoritarianism, contentious politics, and development.
Ong recently completed a decade-long study on repression and state power in China, Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary China (Oxford University Press, 2022), which was covered in the Economist, BBC World Service, and the Wall Street Journal. Her academic publications have appeared in Perspectives on Politics, Journal of Comparative Politics, China Quarterly, China Journal, Journal of Contemporary Asia, among others. Her opinion pieces have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Washington Post, LA Times, South China Morning Post, East Asia Forum, and The Globe and Mail. Ong is a 2022–24 Schwartz Reisman faculty fellow, and her research has been funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council, Connaught, Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation, and the Association of Asian Studies. She has held the position of director of the Munk School China Initiative, acting director of the Contemporary Asian Studies Program, and director of the East Asia Seminar Series at the Asian Institute for many years. She has delivered expert testimonies before the US Congress and the Canadian House of Commons, and frequently offers expert commentaries to international and Canadian media.
About the SRI Seminar Series
The SRI Seminar Series brings together the Schwartz Reisman community and beyond for a robust exchange of ideas that advance scholarship at the intersection of technology and society. Seminars are led by a leading or emerging scholar and feature extensive discussion.
Each week, a featured speaker will present for 45 minutes, followed by an open discussion. Registered attendees will be emailed a Zoom link before the event begins. The event will be recorded and posted online.
Lynette H. Ong