Political Science
Propaganda and the Police: The Softer Side of State Control in China
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Confronting a rising tide of police–society conflict, China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS) is stepping up its propaganda campaigns. From television specials to social media accounts, this essay identifies the MPS’s public outreach efforts and tracks their prevalence and development. Using data from content analysis of policy documents and interviews with ministry officials, I argue that public relations campaigns have grown alongside the agency’s sometimes violent efforts to enforce law and order. Together with stability maintenance and the appearance of crime control, these tactics are part of a sophisticated and multipronged strategy to underpin regime legitimacy that extends far beyond brute force coercion.
Publication Title
Europe - Asia Studies
Publication Date
2021
Volume
73
Issue
1
First Page
200
Last Page
220
ISSN
0966-8136
DOI
10.1080/09668136.2020.1850644
Keywords
China, propaganda, police, China's Ministry of Public Security
Repository Citation
Scoggins, Suzanne E., "Propaganda and the Police: The Softer Side of State Control in China" (2021). Political Science. 77.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_political_science/77
