Futurity

Expert: Coronavirus exposes ‘cracks’ in Chinese government

The Chinese government's response to the coronavirus outbreak has exposed flaws in its approach to crises and requires more openness, an expert argues.
A woman wearing a blue medical masks carries two boxes of more medical masks as she moves through a crowd

The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak reveals the breakdown of Chinese government structures, one expert argues.

Xueguang Zhou, a professor in economic development at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute who specializes in institutional change in contemporary Chinese society, studies Chinese organizations, Chinese state building, and Chinese bureaucracy.

His work sheds light on the characteristics of, and tensions in, governing China, and is pertinent to understanding the unfolding of the coronavirus crisis and the Chinese government’s response to it.

Here, Zhou talks about these issues, his research into the institutional foundations of governance in China, and some of the challenges the country now faces (the conversation has been edited for length and clarity):

The post Expert: Coronavirus exposes ‘cracks’ in Chinese government appeared first on Futurity.

More from Futurity

Futurity2 min read
HIV Vaccine Approach Works Like GPS
A new vaccine approach works like a GPS, guiding the immune system through specific steps to make broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV. As reported in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, the approach provides step-by-step directions for the immun
Futurity3 min read
How To Protect Your Dog From Dangerous Bacterial Infection
Leptospirosis is a dangerous infection that can lead to kidney failure and even death in dogs. An expert has tips for keeping your four-legged friends safe and healthy. “It’s heartbreaking when we see these cases,” says Emmanuelle Butty, assistant cl
Futurity2 min read
Firefighters May Have Higher Prostate Cancer Risk
Firefighters may have an increased risk of prostate cancer due to on-the-job chemical exposures, according to new research. Prostate cancer is the leading incident cancer among US males. Firefighters are diagnosed with prostate cancer at a rate 1.21

Related Books & Audiobooks