Local Self-Government of China in the System of Mobilization Mechanisms to Counter COVID-19 (Case of Wuhan)
Keywords:
Local self-government, committees of urban residents, COVID-19, mobilization mechanisms, Wuhan, ChinaAbstract
The article shows the features of China’s mobilization mechanisms, highlighting the practices of local self-government in extreme conditions. Using the example of the city of Wuhan — the administrative center of Hubei Province, a major transport hub — the mobilization of local communities to fight the new coronavirus in the first half of 2020 is analysed. The territorial approach, situational analysis with the political and geographical localization of the research object (the Wuhan case) allow us to reveal the role of local government as an important part of the entire system of mobilization mechanisms in the fight against the new coronavirus. At the same time, the authors do not detach the analysis of urban events from studying the efforts of the whole country in the fight against COVID-19. The theory of securitization and the concept of “consultative authoritarianism” serve as the theoretical basis of the study. Positivist and realistic approaches to security cannot fully reveal the extent of the danger that the broad strata of society should realize. This weakens the mobilization of the population. In order to mobilize society to fight the danger, it is necessary to use information resources to influence people’s minds so that they understand the scope of the threat. This all is mostly relevant for such a threat as a dangerous virus. A powerful information “charge” is a component of the system of mobilization mechanisms, which fits into the framework of the securitization theory. The theory of “consultative authoritarianism” is revealed by the example of the emergency situation in Wuhan, where the state government interacted with the local “network” self-government, adjusted the content of social networks to prevent panic and ensure effective quarantine in Wuhan. All this made it possible for the state to prepare the conditions for vaccination and other measures in a successful resistance to COVID-19.
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