Dan Chen

Dan Chen
University of Richmond | UR · Department of Political Science

PhD

About

26
Publications
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292
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Introduction
My research approaches the durability of authoritarian rule from a grassroots perspective. Focusing on China, my research is motivated by the dynamics between local forces and central power, as observed in popular culture, public opinion, news media, and local governance. My first book, Convenient Criticism: Local Media and Governance in Urban China, was published by SUNY Press in 2020.

Publications

Publications (26)
Article
Full-text available
Political trust is an important indicator of regime support. However, we have yet to fully understand the sources and consequence of varying levels of trust in specific political institutions. Difference in political trust at national and local levels is especially important for understanding authoritarian systems. Focusing on China, this article e...
Article
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Despite state control, negative news on local officials is not uncommon in China. Facing the incentive and pressure to earn profits and the political constraints, municipal television news programs have developed and adopted the life news model (minsheng xinwen 民生新闻) that aims at helping citizens solve problems. Its production process has transform...
Article
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Despite the sophisticated media control, criticism is not uncommon in China. Why does the authoritarian regime allow criticism? This article offers an explanation based on political institutions. It examines the central-local government relations and finds that criticism can help advance the interests of different political actors. Criticism of loc...
Article
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Studies on Chinese politics frequently utilize the safety valve analogy to describe various political decisions that allow space for feedback and challenges. Drawing upon these empirical studies and the theoretical literature on institution, authoritarianism, and democratization, this review essay delineates the logic of the safety valve strategy a...
Article
As political control tightens, many Chinese celebrities have started to repost official messages on Weibo to signal political loyalty. What is the impact of celebrities’ dissemination of official messages on public discourse? Using novel data, this article finds that, for reposted official messages, younger celebrities receive more fan engagement w...
Article
Full-text available
Increasing tensions between the United States and China, a rise in anti-Asian sentiment, and the risk of government surveillance has dramatically altered the teaching and research contexts for scholars of Chinese politics. In this conversation, Dan Chen (University of Richmond), Rongbin Han (University of Georgia), and John Yasuda (Johns Hopkins Un...
Article
During a national crisis, can state propaganda shift public opinion, and if so, in what direction? Existing studies show that the effects of state propaganda on public opinion in China are mixed. Analysing data from an online survey experiment conducted during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, this article finds that the Chi...
Article
Full-text available
This essay surveys the scholarship on Chinese cultural politics in the reform era and argues that popular culture is a crucial realm where politics is manifested, shaped, and challenged. Based on an overview of this literature, this essay finds that Chinese popular culture remains subversive despite evolving political rule and changing socioeconomi...
Article
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In China, celebrities can dominate public discourse and shape popular culture, but they are under the state's close gaze. Recent studies have revealed how the state disciplines and co-opts celebrities to promote patriotism, foster traditional values and spread political propaganda. However, how do celebrities adapt to the changing political environ...
Article
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What factors might explain the cross-country variations in COVID-19 public performances and what lessons can be drawn to be better-prepared for future pandemics? This study focuses on the effects of policy stringency on COVID-19 public health outcomes to gain insights into national-level state responses to COVID-19 and the conditions for their effe...
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Public discourse under authoritarian rule is not monolithic. Yet how popular rhetoric engages with the hegemonic rhetoric in the same discursive space remains understudied. This article examines the rhetoric of a standup comedy show in China, streamed online and widely popular among Chinese millennials, to understand how alternative views on social...
Book
Why and how does critical reporting persist at the local level in China despite state media control, a hallmark of authoritarian rule? Synthesizing ethnographic observation, interviews, survey and content analysis data, Convenient Criticism reveals evolving dynamics in local governance and the state-media relationship. Local critical reporting, tho...
Article
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Sports victory constitutes an important part of propaganda in authoritarian states. The heavy state investment in sports industries and sports culture in China illustrates the political importance of sports. However, few studies have systematically examined the exact impact of sports propaganda on public opinion. Using a survey experiment conducted...
Article
Full-text available
Propaganda is integral to authoritarian rule. Yet, questions remain regarding what propaganda content is effective at influencing which opinions and to whom. Using an original online survey experiment conducted in China, this study finds that although propaganda is ineffective with average Internet users, it persuades highly informed participants w...
Article
Media Politics in China: Improvising Power under Authoritarianism Maria Repnikova Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2017 xiii + 264 pp. £75.00; $99.99 ISBN 978-1-1071-9598-1 - Volume 233 - Dan Chen
Article
Full-text available
While mass mobilization and political campaigns were the main administrative tools for policy implementation in China during the Maoist era (1949–1976), they continued to a lesser extent into the reform period. In the Maoist era, these campaigns shaped the social and economic life of residents and government officials. However, the use of campaigns...
Article
The Transformation of Governance in Rural China: Market, Finance, and Political Authority. By An Chen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. xvi, 391 pp. ISBN 9781107081758 (cloth; also available as e-book). - Volume 75 Issue 1 - Dan Chen
Chapter
Mid-level officials at the municipal and county levels have implemented various innovations (chuangxin) in village and town governments to improve elections and local governance. Some of these innovations include local deliberation and popular participation in the selection of village and town party secretaries. However, these innovations are neith...

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