Transparency As A Tool Of Authoritarian Governance In China

from UCL Uncovering Politics · host Alan Renwick, Handi Li

Transparency is seen as a hallmark of democracy, yet some authoritarian states have real open government policies too. Why? New research suggests a striking answer: transparency may help non-democratic regimes maintain stability, by steering citizens towards official channels and away from protest. Joining host Alan Renwick is Dr Handi Li, Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the UCL Department of Political Science, whose research tests this idea in China and finds clear supporting evidence Mentioned in this episode: Transparency for Authoritarian Stability: Open Government Information and Contention with Institutions in China by Handi Li, World Politics (forthcoming).

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 21, 2026

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This week we ask why some authoritarian governments are willing to let their citizens know when things go wrong.

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Transparency As A Tool Of Authoritarian Governance In China

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