Defending Stability under Threat: Sensitive Periods and the Repression of Protest in Urban China

Author(s)

Heinz Christoph Steinhardt

Abstract

How does the elevated threat of protests during sensitive periods affect state repression in a high-capacity authoritarian regime? Drawing on a dataset of over 3,100 protests in three Chinese megacities, this study provides three key findings: first, the frequency of protests before and during national-level focal events and subsequent to national-level disruptive events is depressed, suggesting preemptive repression is taking place. Second, the likelihood of responsive repression is marginally reduced before and during local-level focal events and slightly elevated after national-level disruptive events. Third, contention is intensified when local political elites meet. Sensitive periods do not bring contention to a standstill and costly bursts of responsive repression were not observed. Stability maintenance during times of increased regime-vulnerability was thus less rigid than often assumed.

Organisation(s)

Department of East Asian Studies

Journal

Journal of Contemporary China

Volume

30

Pages

526-549

No. of pages

24

ISSN

1067-0564

Publication date

2020

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

506006 Peace studies, 506008 Conflict research, 504023 Political sociology

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geography, Planning and Development, Development, Political Science and International Relations

Portal url

https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/defending-stability-under-threat-sensitive-periods-and-the-repression-of-protest-in-urban-china(812fcdda-4dac-46ed-aac3-a8b5f4ec3c45).html