Document Type
Working Paper
Publication Date
11-1-2019
Subjects
Social Credit System, China, Moral Deserts
Abstract
The Social Credit System (SCS), as proposed in China, provokes an interesting philosophical question. Can human behaviour be moulded to create a better, fairer society by awarding ‘credit’ to those who behave in ways seen as positive by some broad-based authority, in this case, the state? Is the SCS a promising idea for developing a well-functioning society under conditions of complexity and diversity, or is it a massive exercise in government control over virtually all aspects of citizens’ lives?
Citation Details
Cristie Ford, "Seeing Like an Authoritarian State" in Liav Orgad & Wessel Reijers, eds, A Dystopian Future? The Rise of Social Credit Systems (2019) Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies Global Citizenship Governance, European University Institute Working Papers RSCAS 2019/94, 15-17.