Populism versus Neoliberalism

Abstract

Research on the Chinese media has concentrated on understanding Party-state control over an increasingly commercialized media. And it has usually focussed on reporting

Responses to News Overload in a Non-Partisan Environment: News Avoidance in China

“…At the same time, however, there is no partisan ideological divide as is common in Western media and there are no partisan news sources strongly supporting or deeply critical of the government of the day, its actions, and its leaders. Even the most critical outlets take care not to use language critical of the government or government positions (Duckett & Langer, 2013). The left-right divide found in many Western jurisdictions is simply not a feature of Chinese politics, society or media and the common Western phenomenon of a divided media with half openly critical of current government policies and leaders and the other half supportive, with media switching roles as governments rotate between opposing parties, does not exist.…”

‘Market justice’ in China and Russia

“…42 In health care, the government had a change of heart: after first pursuing policies of retrenchment which led to an overall reduction in state support for healthcare in the 1980s and 1990s, 43 it responded to not just popular pressure but also to ideas generated through an elitelevel debate which pitted 'pro-state' against 'pro-market' positions. 44 In the end, the pro-state side won the argument by convincing the leadership that increased state support for healthcare was not a burden to the economy but complementary to economic development and social stability goals. 45 Although at first glance China's efforts to build up a welfare state seem incompatible with neoliberalism, they can also be interpreted as a Polanyian 'double move'-taking with one hand and giving with the other.…”