Amid the COVID‐19 pandemic, citizens' compliance with government preventive measures was one of the top policy priorities for governments worldwide. This study engages with socio‐legal and psychological theories on compliance and proposes an analytical framework to explore the role of...

Recent years have witnessed a rise in global investments in the digital economy. The growing digital reach of Chinese tech companies is responsible for at least part of this transformation. Yet, little is known about how host country citizens view China’s increasing stature in the digital...

China’s central and municipal governments have consistently facilitated the development of social credit systems (SCSs) over the past decade. While research has highlighted the Chinese public’s high approval of and support for SCSs, their engagement with these digital projects has not been...

China has announced ambitious goals to be a global leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data technologies. Yet, when looking at the implementation side, a “digital implementation gap” becomes self-evident, as Beijing’s comprehensive plans and digital ambitions are often only...

Chinese cities are increasingly using digital technologies to address urban problems and govern society. However, little is known about how this digital turn has been implemented. This study explores the introduction of digital governance in Shenzhen, one of China’s most praised smart cities....

The adoption of COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps (CTAs) has been proposed as an important measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. Based on a cross-national dataset, this paper analyzes public perceptions towards CTAs and the factors that drive CTA acceptance in China, Germany, and the United...

How does the public perceive facial recognition technology (FRT) and how much do they accept FRT in different political contexts? Based on online surveys resembling the Internet-connected population in China Germany, the UK and the US, our study finds that FRT enjoys generally highest acceptance...