Ran Xi (University of New South Wales (UNSW) – UNSW Law & Justice) has posted Techno-Pragmatic Governance on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
Over the past three decades, China’s regulatory approach to emerging technologies has undergone a profound transformation, from early inaction during the rise of the Internet to rapid, strategic interventions in the era of generative artificial intelligence. This Article traces that evolution, identifying a distinctive mode of techno-pragmatic governance: a state-led but flexible model that emphasizes incrementalism, policy-driven experimentation, and public-private collaboration. Drawing on insights from Science and Technology Studies (STS), this Article argues that this regulatory trajectory is not merely institutional but deeply shaped by sociotechnical imaginaries—visions of national progress, economic power, and technological modernity coproduced by state and corporate actors. While this model has enabled swift regulatory responses and positioned China as a global leader in areas like AI and electric vehicles, it also comes with costs. This Article reveals how dominant narratives of innovation can marginalize alternative imaginaries—those grounded in public concerns about safety, equity, and justice—and render participatory governance superficial. Through a case study of autonomous vehicles, it critiques the risks of a governance regime overly centered on control and growth, and calls for a shift toward more inclusive, participatory regulatory frameworks. In doing so, it contributes both a theoretical account of China’s emerging technologies governance and a normative argument for stakeholder empowerment in global technology regulation.
Recommended!
To receive new posts from Legal Theory Blog by email, get a free subscription to Legal Theory Stack.
Lawrence Solum