Y Zhai
Biographic Data
| ID | 35789 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Y Zhai |
| GIVEN NAMES | Y |
| FAMILY NAME | Zhai |
| SIGNATURE | ZHAI Y |
| AFFILIATIONS | Shanghai Jiao Tong University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6903-4319 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 52 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 230 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 52 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
Who cares about politics under authoritarian rule? Evidence from China
Departing from mainstream research on political interest in democratic contexts, this study investigates its evolution in an authoritarian setting. To disentangle temporal dynamics, it applies the age–period–cohort interaction model to repeated cross-sectional data from five waves of nationally representative surveys conducted in China. The results demonstrate distinct effects across age, period, and cohort dimensions. Age effects indicate that y…
The Political Psychology of Citizens in Rising China
To understand why the Chinese Communist Party has sustained its authoritarian political system, it is important to examine China's politics through the eyes of its people. This book presents the first comprehensive study of the political psychology of citizens in rising China, examining their attitudes toward democracy, their government, and their authoritarian political system, alongside their views of China's rise and its relations with foreign…
The Evolution of Democratic Values in China: Age, Period, and Cohort Effects in an Authoritarian Regime
This study explores the evolution of democratic values among Chinese citizens over the past few decades, offering insights into how democratic values develop within authoritarian regimes. Democratic values are conceptualized as the belief in an equal government-people relationship and the belief in the independence of branches of government. These beliefs correspond to the core principles of democracy, including popular sovereignty, the separatio…
Super–Item Interaction With Contrastive Learning for Structure-Level Cross-Domain Recommendation
Cross-domain recommendation aims to leverage knowledge from multiple domains to mitigate issues of data sparsity and cold–start problems. While traditional cross-domain settings often involve semantic domains ( e.g. , movies versus books), recent research has expanded this notion to include structure-level domains that reflect different types of interaction graphs. To this end, we propose Super–Item Interaction with Contrastive Learning for Struc…
Narrating China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Latin America: Ideological discourses and media representations in BBC podcasts
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambitious government-led project that has attracted sustained media attention since its launch in 2013. This article employs multimodal critical discourse analysis, in conjunction with van Dijk’s (2000) ideological discourse analysis, as a theoretical framework to examine the narratives presented in four episodes—Ecuador, Panama, Jamaica, and Mexico—from the BBC World Service podcast series Stories fro…
Gender ideology and political participation: Evidence from Mongolia as a third-wave democracy
Exploring the Horizontal Dimension of Political Trust in China
China's uneven economic development over the past few decades has not only created significant socioeconomic disparities across regions but has also led to divergent effects on political trust at the subnational level. This study investigates the horizontal dimension of political trust by analyzing how perceived government performance relates to trust in both central and local governments across eastern and non‐eastern regions. The findings sugge…
Public support for governments in China and Japan during a global health crisis
Emergencies and crises pose challenges to sustaining public support for governments. Based on the theoretical distinction between intrinsic and instrumental sources of public support, this study examines public support across three levels of government (national, provincial/prefectural, and city) in China and Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results indicate the fragility of China’s authoritarian politics, as public support is heavily reli…
Agentic and Communal Collective Narcissism: Their Differential Impact on Foreign Policy Preferences
As a personality trait, collective narcissism refers to unrealistic beliefs about ingroup exceptionality. Previous literature has primarily focused on the link between agentic collective narcissism and foreign policy preferences, while largely neglecting the role of communal collective narcissism. Building on the theoretical distinction between agentic and communal collective narcissism, this study is the first to clarify their distinct associati…
Addressing gender inequalities beyond national borders: Identity, empathy, and linked fate
Anti-Corruption and Political Legitimacy in China: Shifting Public Perceptions over Time
Chinese perceptions of corruption are characterized by a pyramidal structure, where corruption at the local government level is perceived as more prevalent than at the central government level. However, Xi’s anti-corruption campaigns are unintentionally reshaping this structure. This study traces the evolution of public perceptions of corruption in China from 2002 to 2019, revealing that anti-corruption campaigns have effectively reduced percepti…
Declining U.S. Soft Power in East Asia: Evaluations of the U.S. Covid-19 Response by Citizens of China, Japan, and South Korea
A country's ability to handle emergencies reflects its soft power. This study examines how Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean citizens evaluated the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the differences among them. Cross-national surveys were conducted in these three East Asian countries. The results showed that all three countries' citizens unfavorably evaluated the U.S. performance in dealing with COVID-19. However, Japanese and South Kor…
Benevolent authority beliefs, democratic values, and public support: A comparative study of China and Japan
Emergencies and crises, such as the COVID‐19 pandemic, pose significant challenges to a country's governance, and public approval is crucial for effectively managing such crises. China and Japan are two East Asian countries that share Confucian cultural legacies but have undergone distinct political transformations since World War II. In light of these contextual differences, this study argues that the benevolent authority system of governance re…
The Covid-19 pandemic and popular confidence in democracy: Evidence from China, Japan, and South Korea
Who Feels Hostile? National Identity and Attitudes Toward Japan in China
Hostility and exclusionary attitudes toward foreigners and immigrants have emerged as a global phenomenon. Amid enduring historical grievances and strategic rivalry, tentative signs of improvement in China-Japan bilateral relations have been observed since 2024. Based on social identity theory, this study investigates how five types of national ingroup positivity, namely, national ingroup identification, blind and constructive patriotism, nationa…
Outgroup threat, ideology, and favorable evaluations of the government’s responses to Covid-19
Temporary food insecurity, social capital, and mental health during the Covid-19 lockdowns in Shanghai
The association between food insecurity and social capital under the lockdowns in Covid-hit Shanghai
As an emergency, food insecurity threatens people’s well-being, while social capital is expected to enhance their resilience in this situation. This study examined the relationship between food insecurity and social capital during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai. We collected a dataset of 1064 participants by random sampling. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the dynamics of social capital before and after lockdowns. The result…
Exclusionist reactions during the Covid‐19 pandemic: Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean citizens’ support for border restriction
Objective The COVID‐19 pandemic has fueled exclusionist attitudes toward various outgroup minorities. This study examines the support among Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean citizens for restrictions on the entry of foreigners and fellow citizens living abroad during the pandemic. Method Cross‐national surveys were conducted using quota sampling. Results The results showed that the citizens of all three countries supported border restrictions, …
Lockdown, information quality, and political trust: An empirical study of the Shanghai lockdown under Covid-19
Many countries have adopted various measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The regulation measures of lockdown have triggered changes in public political trust in the government (including in its competence, benevolence and integrity). Information shapes the attitudes and values of residents; this paper aims to study the effect of a lockdown on political trust and the moderating effect from quality of government shared information.…
Politics Matters for Life Satisfaction of Mainland Chinese Spouses in Taiwan
This study examined how politics, along with familial and socioeconomic factors, influence the life satisfaction of marriage migrants in Taiwan. We conducted a social survey in Taiwan and offered a multidimensional and dynamic view on adaptation and life satisfaction among them. The results showed that in Taiwan, family relationships and socioeconomic class were significant factors of life satisfaction among mainland Chinese marriage migrants. A …
Cultural values, system justification, meritocratic beliefs, and evaluations of governments' performance in handling the Covid ‐19 crisis
System justification and meritocratic beliefs legitimize the status quo of economic, social, and political arrangements, and may correlate with favourable evaluations of governments' performance during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study furthers research on this topic by examining (1) the cultural value antecedents of system justification and meritocratic beliefs, and (2) the differential effects of these on attitudes toward ingroups and outgroups…
Learning from Vernacular and Integrating Retrofitting Techniques to Enhance Thermal Comfort in Residential Buildings: Insights from Tiruchirapalli, India
Livelihood is important for a person to carry on with one's life.In fact, livelihoods determine the location and shape of the settlement patterns.In the formation of settlement patterns in Kampung Padang, of the Selayar Islands district of Indonesia, one cannot separate the influence of population growth and activities.The population of the local community is increasing and affects the settlement patterns both in terms of the facilities, the infr…
Public Opinion in a Rising Power: National and International Orientations among the Chinese Public
China's involvement in the world and its economic modernization are expected to lead to its democratization and adherence to the liberal international order. However, after several decades of development, the authoritarian system remains resilient, and China's foreign policy appears to be more assertive. The limited nature of scholarship on the public opinion in a rising power has prevented a better understanding of China's domestic changes and f…
Looking forward and looking backward: Economic evaluations and regime support in China
It is widely acknowledged that the economic situation is of vital importance for the stability of an authoritarian regime, but it is rarely known how the public’s economic evaluation contributes to such outcomes. This study examines the effects of citizens’ retrospective and prospective evaluations of their household economic situation and the national economy on the level of regime support in China. The findings show that the national economy ou…
Traditional Values and Political Trust in China
Chinese traditional culture is viewed to sustain political trust in the authoritarian regime. Given that Chinese cultural traditions are complex and multi-dimensional, it is ineffective to deal with this notion by a single index. This study divides Chinese traditional values into a non-political dimension (traditional family and social values) and a political dimension (traditional political values). Then, I empirically test how different dimensi…
Popular conceptions of democracy and democratic satisfaction in China
Evaluating attitudes to democracy in an authoritarian political system is complex. Several surveys suggest that the majority of Chinese people feel satisfied with the level of democracy in China. In explaining this intellectual puzzle, this study addresses how different understandings of democracy influence satisfaction with the state of democracy. This study also investigates the relationships between liberal democratic values and popular concep…
Values of deference to authority in Japan and China
Values of deference to authority have long been prevalent in Japan and China. These two societies feature hierarchical social structures, harmonious orientations, and collectivism, which are regarded as cultural characteristics of East Asia. Through distinguishing traditional values in the political sphere from those in the non-political sphere, this article examines the relationship between traditional values and political deference levels in Ja…
Popular democratic perception matters for political trust in authoritarian regimes
Governmental performance is important for maintaining the public’s political trust. This article examines the moderating role of the popular perceptions of democracy on the effect of governmental performance on political trust in authoritarian regimes by studying the case of China. The popular perceptions of democracy affect the evaluations of governmental performance, and the effects of governmental performance on political trust are contingent …
Remarkable economic growth, but so what? The impacts of modernization on Chinese citizens’ political satisfaction
China’s rapid economic development may have dramatic political effects. Modernization theory optimistically anticipates that sustained economic growth will cause increasing public demand for political liberalization and democratization. The degree of Chinese citizens’ political satisfaction with the current state of civil liberties and political rights affects China’s future political development. Empirical findings in this article show that most…
The Politics of Covid-19: The Political Logic of China's Zero-Covid Policy
From the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan in late 2019 until December 2022, China implemented stringent infection prevention and control measures known as the Zero-COVID policy. Western observers and some Chinese intellectuals have questioned this rigid policy, but few studies offer a comprehensive overview of the political reasonings behind it. This article positions the Zero-COVID policy in a broader historical context of the …
Do Confucian Values Deter Chinese Citizens’ Support for Democracy
The cultural prerequisites of democracy have been receiving considerable attention over the past decades. Confucian values are regarded as incompatible with liberal democracy and are considered to impede democratization. This article explores the effect of Confucian values on the commitment of ordinary Chinese people to democracy. Support for democracy is divided into attachment to democracy and adherence to liberal democratic values. Attachment …
Government policy performance and central–local political trust in China
It is widely acknowledged that poor government policy performance undermines public trust in government. However, there has been insufficient study of how citizens attribute responsibility to different levels of government within an authoritarian unitary context. Inquiry is needed to assess the ways government performance in various policy domains affects central–local political trust. This study uses the case of China to addresses these question…
Values Change and Support for Democracy in East Asia
Risk society and the politics of food safety problems in China
In China, the public has gradually shifted their focus from GDP growth to quality-of-life issues, which imposes new challenges for the government. The food safety problem, as a salient issue, is one such example. This article analyzes how food safety problems affect ordinary Chinese people's trust in the government and their attribution of governmental responsibility using nationally representative survey data. As food safety risks are unequally …
The Gap in Viewing China’s Rise between Chinese Youth and Their Asian Counterparts
Using a mixed-methods approach, this article surveys and compares how Chinese youth view China’s rise with how their Asian counterparts do. The quantitative analysis uses data from the Asian Student Survey to identify the differences in perception of China’s rise between Chinese and Asian youth. Qualitative interviewing is undertaken to probe and assess the reasons behind the gap. The results show that Chinese youth are more optimistic about poli…
Looking forward and looking backward: Economic evaluations and regime support in China
It is widely acknowledged that the economic situation is of vital importance for the stability of an authoritarian regime, but it is rarely known how the public’s economic evaluation contributes to such outcomes. This study examines the effects of citizens’ retrospective and prospective evaluations of their household economic situation and the national economy on the level of regime support in China. The findings show that the national economy ou…
Popular Perceptions of Democracy in China
Democracy is a contested concept; this article empirically examines how Chinese people understand the concept of democracy in practice when they use this term. Using four rounds of national survey data, we seek to clarify the characteristics of the Chinese people’s perception of democracy and its longitudinal changes during the past few decades. The results show an increase in the percentage of people who view democracy procedurally. The popular …
Identity, contact, and the reduction of mutual distrust: A survey of Chinese and Japanese youth
In the midst of rising tension between China and Japan, two powerful countries in Asia, the favorable attitudes of each country's citizens toward the other country have dropped to a historical low. The Taiwan issue, historical legacy, island disputes, and maritime resource competition are major obstacles in Sino-Japanese relations, but the most fundamental issue is a deep-seated mutual distrust and suspicion between the two countries, which resul…
Quality of governance and political support in China, Japan, and South Korea
Based on the theoretical distinction between specific and diffuse support, this study examines and compares the effects of governance quality on political support in China, Japan, and South Korea. As regime type is an important contextual factor, the three countries provide ideal cases for testing how the effects of governance on political support vary across different political systems in East Asia. The results show that both economic and politi…
Embracing the concept of democracy in China: Citizens’ Democratic Perceptions and Support
Citizens in authoritarian regimes understand the concept of democracy under the influence of the state's manipulation and individual agency. This study examines Chinese citizens' perception of three types of government – people relationships – government (1) of the people; (2) by the people; and (3) for the people – without directly using the term 'democracy'. Citizens' perceptions of these three principles of democracy can predict the level of t…
The association between food insecurity and social capital under the lockdowns in Covid-hit Shanghai
As an emergency, food insecurity threatens people’s well-being, while social capital is expected to enhance their resilience in this situation. This study examined the relationship between food insecurity and social capital during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai. We collected a dataset of 1064 participants by random sampling. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the dynamics of social capital before and after lockdowns. The result…
A Peaceful Prospect or a Threat to Global Order: How Asian Youth View a Rising China
This article investigates youth perceptions of China's rise in seven Asian societies. Unlike previous studies’ findings that most Asians hold positive views of China's influence, this study finds that Asian youth view a rising China more coolly than does the general public. Even though they acknowledge that China's rise offers increased opportunities, Asian youth tend to strongly distrust and worry about the negative influence of China. The resul…
Telling stories from the New Silk Road: A news discourse analysis of BBC’s podcast episodes on the Belt and Road Initiative
Since its announcement in 2013, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has drawn considerable international attention and remarkably influenced the global economy and politics. By employing the methodological framework of the Discursive News Values Analysis (DNVA), this study scrutinizes how the BBC World Service portrays the BRI. Using its podcast “Stories from the New Silk Road,” we analyzed its coverage of how ordinary people see the BRI. Thro…
The Covid-19 pandemic and popular confidence in democracy: Evidence from China, Japan, and South Korea
Public Opinion in a Rising Power: National and International Orientations among the Chinese Public
China's involvement in the world and its economic modernization are expected to lead to its democratization and adherence to the liberal international order. However, after several decades of development, the authoritarian system remains resilient, and China's foreign policy appears to be more assertive. The limited nature of scholarship on the public opinion in a rising power has prevented a better understanding of China's domestic changes and f…
An ideological square analysis of the podcast discourse in “Chinese Dreams” of the BBC World Service
Employing the ideological square model (Van Dijk, 1998 Van Dijk, T. A. (1998). Ideology: A Multidisciplinary approach. Sage. [Google Scholar], 2000 Van Dijk, T. A. (2000). Ideology and discourse: A Multidisciplinary introduction. Pompeu Fabra University. [Google Scholar]), this article examines polarization strategies of positive and negative representations of ‘us’ and ‘them’ in ideological discourse on the rise of China by Western media. We ana…
Pride and prejudice: Chinese citizens’ evaluations of democracy in the United States, India and Taiwan
How citizens in authoritarian regimes evaluate the practice of democracy in both new and established democracies has important implications on the prospect of democratisation in their own country. As an authoritarian country with the largest population around the world, China has resisted waves of democratisation and maintains the one-party rule. This study examined the Chinese case and explored how Chinese citizens evaluated democracy in the Uni…
Sources of political trust and their regional variations in China
Economic modernization has conflicting effects (strengthening and eroding) on political trust in an authoritarian regime. Thus far, potential regional variations in political trust have received little attention. This study examines the sources of strengthening and eroding political trust and their regional variations in China. The findings show that (1) sources of trust in the government at different levels vary significantly; (2) modernization …
Who Feels Hostile? National Identity and Attitudes Toward Japan in China
Hostility and exclusionary attitudes toward foreigners and immigrants have emerged as a global phenomenon. Amid enduring historical grievances and strategic rivalry, tentative signs of improvement in China-Japan bilateral relations have been observed since 2024. Based on social identity theory, this study investigates how five types of national ingroup positivity, namely, national ingroup identification, blind and constructive patriotism, nationa…
Identity, contact, and the reduction of mutual distrust: A survey of Chinese and Japanese youth
In the midst of rising tension between China and Japan, two powerful countries in Asia, the favorable attitudes of each country's citizens toward the other country have dropped to a historical low. The Taiwan issue, historical legacy, island disputes, and maritime resource competition are major obstacles in Sino-Japanese relations, but the most fundamental issue is a deep-seated mutual distrust and suspicion between the two countries, which resul…
Remarkable economic growth, but so what? The impacts of modernization on Chinese citizens’ political satisfaction
China’s rapid economic development may have dramatic political effects. Modernization theory optimistically anticipates that sustained economic growth will cause increasing public demand for political liberalization and democratization. The degree of Chinese citizens’ political satisfaction with the current state of civil liberties and political rights affects China’s future political development. Empirical findings in this article show that most…
Values of deference to authority in Japan and China
Values of deference to authority have long been prevalent in Japan and China. These two societies feature hierarchical social structures, harmonious orientations, and collectivism, which are regarded as cultural characteristics of East Asia. Through distinguishing traditional values in the political sphere from those in the non-political sphere, this article examines the relationship between traditional values and political deference levels in Ja…
Do Confucian Values Deter Chinese Citizens’ Support for Democracy
The cultural prerequisites of democracy have been receiving considerable attention over the past decades. Confucian values are regarded as incompatible with liberal democracy and are considered to impede democratization. This article explores the effect of Confucian values on the commitment of ordinary Chinese people to democracy. Support for democracy is divided into attachment to democracy and adherence to liberal democratic values. Attachment …
A Peaceful Prospect or a Threat to Global Order: How Asian Youth View a Rising China
This article investigates youth perceptions of China's rise in seven Asian societies. Unlike previous studies’ findings that most Asians hold positive views of China's influence, this study finds that Asian youth view a rising China more coolly than does the general public. Even though they acknowledge that China's rise offers increased opportunities, Asian youth tend to strongly distrust and worry about the negative influence of China. The resul…
The Gap in Viewing China’s Rise between Chinese Youth and Their Asian Counterparts
Using a mixed-methods approach, this article surveys and compares how Chinese youth view China’s rise with how their Asian counterparts do. The quantitative analysis uses data from the Asian Student Survey to identify the differences in perception of China’s rise between Chinese and Asian youth. Qualitative interviewing is undertaken to probe and assess the reasons behind the gap. The results show that Chinese youth are more optimistic about poli…
Traditional Values and Political Trust in China
Chinese traditional culture is viewed to sustain political trust in the authoritarian regime. Given that Chinese cultural traditions are complex and multi-dimensional, it is ineffective to deal with this notion by a single index. This study divides Chinese traditional values into a non-political dimension (traditional family and social values) and a political dimension (traditional political values). Then, I empirically test how different dimensi…
Discourse power: Sovereignty claims over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands
This paper examines the discursive construction in the territorial disputes over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands between China and Japan. In the 21st century, territorial sovereignty is still a widely acknowledged issue involving national and international security that imposes potential risks of conflict and even war. Based on realist constructivism, which differs from liberal constructivism, the study theorizes discourse power formation, which is jo…
Discourse interactions in world politics: The dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands
Discourse, as a constructive power, plays a significant role in world politics. Rather than focusing on the formation or transformation of a single discourse, we investigate discourse interaction in the context of multiple competing discourses. Based on the theories of discourse interaction, this study analyses the realist dimension of discourse by examining the territorial dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands and shows…
Popular democratic perception matters for political trust in authoritarian regimes
Governmental performance is important for maintaining the public’s political trust. This article examines the moderating role of the popular perceptions of democracy on the effect of governmental performance on political trust in authoritarian regimes by studying the case of China. The popular perceptions of democracy affect the evaluations of governmental performance, and the effects of governmental performance on political trust are contingent …
Popular conceptions of democracy and democratic satisfaction in China
Evaluating attitudes to democracy in an authoritarian political system is complex. Several surveys suggest that the majority of Chinese people feel satisfied with the level of democracy in China. In explaining this intellectual puzzle, this study addresses how different understandings of democracy influence satisfaction with the state of democracy. This study also investigates the relationships between liberal democratic values and popular concep…
Popular Perceptions of Democracy in China
Democracy is a contested concept; this article empirically examines how Chinese people understand the concept of democracy in practice when they use this term. Using four rounds of national survey data, we seek to clarify the characteristics of the Chinese people’s perception of democracy and its longitudinal changes during the past few decades. The results show an increase in the percentage of people who view democracy procedurally. The popular …
Sources of political trust and their regional variations in China
Economic modernization has conflicting effects (strengthening and eroding) on political trust in an authoritarian regime. Thus far, potential regional variations in political trust have received little attention. This study examines the sources of strengthening and eroding political trust and their regional variations in China. The findings show that (1) sources of trust in the government at different levels vary significantly; (2) modernization …
Perceptions of food safety, access to information, and political trust in China
Food safety is a major concern among the Chinese public, with far-reaching political implications. In this study, we developed a theoretical framework to examine the effects of food safety problems on diffuse and specific political trust from the perspective of information in an authoritarian censorship context. Using the latest national survey data, we established an interactive process between the government, information environment, and Chines…
Social dominance orientation, right‐wing authoritarianism, and political attitudes toward governmental performance during the Covid‐19 pandemic
This research examined the association of social dominance orientation (SDO) and right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA) with the evaluations of the government's anti‐coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) policies and performance. In Study 1 ( N = 261), we found that SDO and RWA were positively associated with resistance to criticism about the government's anti‐COVID‐19 measures. In addition, SDO was positively associated with favorable evaluations of th…
Social dominance orientation, social contact, and attitudes toward international students
Political Ideology, Ingroup Favoritism, and Conspiratorial Thinking: Patriotism, Nationalism, and Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories
This article examined the relationship between ideology and conspiratorial thinking and the related mediating effect of ingroup favoritism in a non-Western society. We investigated patriotism and nationalism as two favorable orientations toward national ingroups. We also examined their relationship with the general conspiracy mentality and the specific conspiracy beliefs that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results revealed that co…
An ideological square analysis of the podcast discourse in “Chinese Dreams” of the BBC World Service
Employing the ideological square model (Van Dijk, 1998 Van Dijk, T. A. (1998). Ideology: A Multidisciplinary approach. Sage. [Google Scholar], 2000 Van Dijk, T. A. (2000). Ideology and discourse: A Multidisciplinary introduction. Pompeu Fabra University. [Google Scholar]), this article examines polarization strategies of positive and negative representations of ‘us’ and ‘them’ in ideological discourse on the rise of China by Western media. We ana…
Pride and prejudice: Chinese citizens’ evaluations of democracy in the United States, India and Taiwan
How citizens in authoritarian regimes evaluate the practice of democracy in both new and established democracies has important implications on the prospect of democratisation in their own country. As an authoritarian country with the largest population around the world, China has resisted waves of democratisation and maintains the one-party rule. This study examined the Chinese case and explored how Chinese citizens evaluated democracy in the Uni…
Quality of governance and political support in China, Japan, and South Korea
Based on the theoretical distinction between specific and diffuse support, this study examines and compares the effects of governance quality on political support in China, Japan, and South Korea. As regime type is an important contextual factor, the three countries provide ideal cases for testing how the effects of governance on political support vary across different political systems in East Asia. The results show that both economic and politi…
Telling stories from the New Silk Road: A news discourse analysis of BBC’s podcast episodes on the Belt and Road Initiative
Since its announcement in 2013, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has drawn considerable international attention and remarkably influenced the global economy and politics. By employing the methodological framework of the Discursive News Values Analysis (DNVA), this study scrutinizes how the BBC World Service portrays the BRI. Using its podcast “Stories from the New Silk Road,” we analyzed its coverage of how ordinary people see the BRI. Thro…
Government policy performance and central–local political trust in China
It is widely acknowledged that poor government policy performance undermines public trust in government. However, there has been insufficient study of how citizens attribute responsibility to different levels of government within an authoritarian unitary context. Inquiry is needed to assess the ways government performance in various policy domains affects central–local political trust. This study uses the case of China to addresses these question…
Risk society and the politics of food safety problems in China
In China, the public has gradually shifted their focus from GDP growth to quality-of-life issues, which imposes new challenges for the government. The food safety problem, as a salient issue, is one such example. This article analyzes how food safety problems affect ordinary Chinese people's trust in the government and their attribution of governmental responsibility using nationally representative survey data. As food safety risks are unequally …
Values Change and Support for Democracy in East Asia
Cultural values, system justification, meritocratic beliefs, and evaluations of governments' performance in handling the Covid ‐19 crisis
System justification and meritocratic beliefs legitimize the status quo of economic, social, and political arrangements, and may correlate with favourable evaluations of governments' performance during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study furthers research on this topic by examining (1) the cultural value antecedents of system justification and meritocratic beliefs, and (2) the differential effects of these on attitudes toward ingroups and outgroups…
Political science (41 works) · Politics (41 works) · China (37 works) · Law (30 works) · Law (28 works) · Sociology (26 works) · Democracy (21 works) · Economics (20 works) · Psychology (20 works) · Political economy (19 works)