The Digital Masons: Technology Providers and Social Credit System Construction in China

Author(s)

Pierre Sel

Abstract

China’s Social Credit System Projects (SCSP) rely on dedicated digital infrastructure and as such can be considered as e-government projects. This study offers a preliminary analysis of companies who were tasked to construct and operate the SCSP’s databases. Building upon 500 public procurement notices from 2018 to 2023 across various administrative levels and provinces in China, the findings show a fragmented social credit construction market. In this market, small and medium-sized companies, both non-state and state-owned, compete to provide database services to local governments without any single firm dominating. This exploratory study illuminates the intricate dynamics and competitive landscape of digital government construction in China. It provides insights into the dynamics of public-private collaboration in China and the political economy of digital governance.

Organisation(s)

Department of East Asian Studies

Journal

Journal of Chinese Political Science

Volume

30

Pages

395-420

No. of pages

26

ISSN

1874-6357

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11366-024-09905-2

Publication date

01-2025

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

506002 E-government

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Sociology and Political Science, Political Science and International Relations

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/9d57cc28-ce12-47d0-921b-979d0282630f