Publications & activities

Below are our most recent publications and reports. You can also access a full list of our publications by following this link.


You may either scroll down the list of activities below or jump by categories, as outline in the stack just below.

  • H. Christoph Steinhardt gave a presentation at the European Association of China Studies
    H. Christoph Steinhardt presented on a panel at the European Association of China Studies annual conference. Presentation title: “Chasing a Phantom: The Re-Evaluation of the Chinese ‘Trust Crisis’”‘
  • Alexander Trauth-Goik gave a presentation at the European Association of China Studies
    Alexander Trauth-Goik presented on a panel at the European Association of China Studies annual conference. Presentation title: ‘Integrity Propaganda and Moral Ascription under China’s Social Credit System Project’
  • Alexander Trauth-Goik’s Panel at the European Association of China Study
    Alexander Trauth-Goik organised a panel for the European Association of China Studies annual conference titled ‘The Politics of the Common Good in China’. The Association’s Conference was held at the University of Talinn.
  • H. Christoph Steinhardt gave a presentation at the American Political Science Association’s meeting
    H. Christoph Steinhardt presented on a panel at the American Political Science Association annual meeting. Presentation title: “The Authoritarian Privacy Paradox: Explaining Institutional Privacy Concerns in China’”‘
  • H. Christoph Steinhardt invited in Berlin for a guest lecture
    H. Christoph Steinhardt gave a guest lecture entitled ‘Chasing a Phantom: A Re-evaluation of China’s ‘Trust Crisis’” at the Institute for Chinese Studies, Free University Berlin.
  • Guest lecture by Prof. Bin Xu
    The project invited Prof. Bin Xu for a guest lecture on “Meanings of Zero: China’s Zero-COVID Policy” at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna. Here is a description of the talk content : https://sinologie.univie.ac.at/veranstaltungen/detailansicht/news/guest-lecture-by-bin-xu-phd/
  • Guest lecture by Prof. Yan Yunxiang
    The project invited Prof. Yunxiang Yan for a guest lecture on “Neo-Familism and the Common Good: Parent Advocacy for Social Inclusion in Urban China” at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna. Here is a description of the lecture’s content : https://sinologie.univie.ac.at/veranstaltungen/detailansicht/news/guest-lecture-by-yan-yunxiang-phd
  • Guest lecture by Prof. Xin Dai in Vienna
    The project invited Prof. Xin Dai for a guest lecture on “‘Getting Data to Flow’: China’s Law and Political Economy for Data Productivity” at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Vienna. Here is a brief description of the lecture’s content : https://sinologie.univie.ac.at/veranstaltungen/detailansicht/news/guest-lecture-by-xin-dai-jsd/
  • H. Christoph Steinhardt invited to the MERICS for a rountable
    H. Christoph Steinhardt took part in the roundtable “Shifting conditions and critical issues for ‘a new era of China research’” at Mercator Institute of China Studies, Berlin.
  • H. Christoph Steinhardt invited in Dublin for a guest lecture
    H. Christoph Steinhardt gave a guest lecture entitled ‘Chasing a Phantom: A Re-evaluation of China’s ‘Trust Crisis’” at the School of Government and International Relations, University College Dublin.
  • H. Christoph Steinhardt was interviewed by Die Presse
    The full article can be found on the following link : https://archive.ph/SP28U
  • Pierre Sel gave a presentation at the INALCO
    Pierre Sel gave a presentation at the French National Institute For Oriental Languages and Civilisations. His talk focused on Social Credit Infrastructures.
  • Alexander Trauth-Goik invited as a guest lecturer in Salzburg
    Alexander Trauth-Goik was invited to give a guest lecture at Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg. Presentation title: Civilized cities or social credit? Overlap and tension between emergent governance infrastructures in China
  • Alexander Trauth-Goik presentation at China Bush Foundation
    Alexander Trauth-Goik presented at the online conference ‘Building the Green, Digital and Inclusive City of the 21st Century’ hosted by the China Bush Foundation and the China Data Analysis and Research Hub. Presentation title: Indicate, Evaluate, Incentivize: Environmental Behavioral Steering in Urban and Rural China
  • Explaining Social Credit to the Public
    H. Christoph Steinhardt was interviewed by Vienna high school student for a project on Social Credit
  • Conference presentation at Tübingen University
    Alexander Trauth-Goik presented on his paper “The Eyes of the Masses are Snow Bright”: An Historical Account of Grassroots Surveillance in China, at the ASC annual meeting
  • Interview with the Wire China on of the Social Credit System
    Pierre Sel gave an interview with journalist Rachel Cheung from the Wire China on the history of the Social Credit System
  • Interview with the Wire China on of the Social Credit System
    Alexander Trauth-Goik gave an interview with journalist Rachel Cheung from the Wire China on the development of the Social Credit System
  • New book review
    Alexander Trauth-Goik published a book review: Ariane Ollier-Malaterre – Living with Digital Surveillance in China: Citizens’ Narratives on Technology, Privacy, and Governance.
  • Publication in China Review
    Pierre Sel’s paper on From Financial Supervision to Morality Construction: Political Narratives of the Social Credit System Policy Process has been accepted for publication in the journal China Review The link is available : https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375525731_From_Financial_Supervision_to_Morality_Construction_Political_Narratives_of_the_Social_Credit_System_Policy_Process
  • News media op-ed in Die Zeit
    H. Christoph Steinhardt (with Sabrina Habich-Sobiegalla) published an op-ed in the German weekly Die Zeit, entitled “Kooperation mit China muss möglich bleiben!” The op-ed is available here : https://archive.ph/nlw7b
  • Public talk at Shanghai University
    H. Christoph Steinhardt gave a talk entitled “外在奖赏还是内生渴望?国家主导志愿服务的参与动机分析” (Extrinsic rewards or intrisic desire? An Analysis of Motivations for State-Led Volunteering) at the Department of Sociology, Shanghai University.
  • Guest lecture at National University of Singapore
    H. Christoph Steinhardt gave a guest lecture entitled “隐私政治与隐私监管” (The politics of privacy and privacy regulation) at the National University of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew School of Government.
  • Alexander Trauth-Goik presentation at University of Würzburg
    Würzburg University, Guest Lecture, Civilized Cities or Social Credit? Overlap & tension between governance infrastructures in China, (3 May 2023)
  • Publication in Global Media & China
    Alex Trauth Groik published the article “Civilized cities or social credit? Overlap and tension between emergent governance infrastructures in China” in a speical issue of Global Media & China. Below is the abstract, link can be found at : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20594364231163444 Abstract Foreign imaginaries of surveillance and informatization in China are commonly connected to notions of… Continue reading Publication in Global Media & China
  • H. Christoph Steinhardt gave a talk at the Collaborative Research Centre “Global Dynamics of Social Policy”, University of Bremen, Germany.
    The presentation is entitled “Mobilizing Social Anomie to Strengthen the State: The Social Credit System and China’s Struggle for Social Order ” A link for the talk is available here
  • H. Christoph Steinhardt presentation at the Automated Decision-Making and Chinese Societies Conference Melbourne University
    H. Christoph Steinhardt and Christian Göbel presented their co-authored study “Mobilizing Social Anomie to Strengthen the State: Justification Strategies for ‘Social Credit’ on Sina Weibo” at the “Automated Decision-Making and Chinese Societies” Conference Melbourne University
  • Alexander Trauth-Goik presentation at the Automated Decision-Making and Chinese Societies Conference Melbourne University
    Alexander Trauth-Goik presented the conference paper entitled “A Qualitative Analysis of Citizen Interpretations and Engagements with State, Commercial and Peer-to-Peer Forms of Surveillance in China”. This co-authored study investigates citizen attitudes and engagements with state, commercial and, peer-to-peer surveillance in China.
  • Publication in First Monday
    H. Christoph Steinhardt and Lukas Holzschuh (together with collaboration Andrew W. MacDonald, Duke University Kunshan) published the paper “Dreading big brother or dreading big profit? Privacy concerns toward the state and companies in China.” H. Christoph Steinhardt and Lukas Holzschuh (together with collaboration Andrew W. MacDonald, Duke University Kunshan) published the paper “Dreading big brother… Continue reading Publication in First Monday
  • Alexander Trauth-Groik presentation for annual meeting of ASC
    Alexander Trauth-Goik was a commenter for paper title: Legal and Discursive Dynamics of Personalized “Pillars of Shame” in Chinese Data Governance,
  • H. Christoph Steinhardt presentation for annual meeting of ASC
    Presentation of conference paper entitled “Mobilizing Social Anomie to Strengthen the State: Justification Strategies for ‘Social Credit’ on Sina Weibo” at annual meeting of the ASC. H. Christoph Steinhardt and Christian Göbel presented their co-authored study “Mobilizing Social Anomie to Strengthen the State: Justification Strategies for ‘Social Credit’ on Sina Weibo” at the German Association… Continue reading H. Christoph Steinhardt presentation for annual meeting of ASC
  • Participation to an external seminar
    Alexander Trauth-Goik participated to the online seminar from the University of Oslo, titled : Data Logics: China at the Intersection of Digitalization and Green Transition, presentation title: Political Task Meets Promotional Incentive: The Impact of the National Civilized City Award on Local Environmental Governance in China
  • Publication in Journal of Contemporary China
    Alexander Trauth-Goik (together with collaborator Chuncheng Liu) published the paper “Black or Fifty Shades of Grey? The Power and Limits of the Social Credit Blacklist System in China” Punishment from the state can rely on formal state apparatuses, but also the mobilization and co-option of the deviant’s own social connections to enhance the power of… Continue reading Publication in Journal of Contemporary China
  • Interview on Austrian public radio Oe1
    H. Christoph Steinhardt gave an interview on the Social Credit System in the program “Dimensionen” on Austrian public radio Oe1. The interview can be found by click here
  • Public talk at University of Macau
    “Mobilizing Social Anomie to Strengthen the State: Justification Strategies for ‘Social Credit’ on Sina Weibo” H. Christoph Steinhardt gave a talk on his co-authored study “Mobilizing Social Anomie to Strengthen the State: Justification Strategies for ‘Social Credit’ on Sina Weibo” at the Department of Government and Public Administration, University of Macau.
  • Public talk at University of Lisbon
    H. Christoph Steinhardt gave a talk on “Studying Social Media Discourse on the Chinese Social Credit System” at the Department of Sociology, University of Lisbon.