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Feb 27, 2025Feb 27, 2025 from 5:00pm–6:00pm

From Click to Boom: The Political Economy of E-Commerce in China

From Click to Boom: The Political Economy of E-Commerce in China

How do states build vital institutions for market development? Too often, governments confront technical or political barriers to providing the rule of law, contract enforcement and loan access. In the book “From Click to Boom,” Lizhi Liu examines a digital solution: governments strategically outsourcing tasks of institutional development and enforcement to digital platforms — a process she calls “institutional outsourcing.”

In just two decades, China built a two-trillion-dollar e-commerce market, with 800 million users, 70 million jobs, and nearly 50% of global online retail sales. Contrary to conventional wisdom, this market boom occurred because of weak government institutions, not despite them. Gaps in government institutions compelled e-commerce platforms to build powerful private institutions for contract enforcement, fraud detection and dispute resolution. For a surprisingly long period, the authoritarian government acquiesced, endorsed and even partnered with this private institutional building, despite its disruptive nature. 

Speaker:

  • Lizhi Liu, Assistant Professor, Georgetown University

Moderator:

This public lecture series is organized by the 21st Century China Center at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS). For more information on China activities, please visit china.ucsd.edu.

If you have any questions, please contact GPS Events Coordinator Susan Zau.

Date and Time

Feb 27, 2025Feb 27, 2025 from 5:00pm–6:00pm

Location

Robinson Building 3, classroom 3202

Event Registration

Registration for this event is required by . Visit the registration page for details.

Event Fee

Free

Contact

Susan Zau    jszau@ucsd.edu    858-82-21698

Audience

Faculty, Staff, Students, The General Public, Alumni, Parents and Family

Event Host

21st Century China Center at School of Global Policy and Strategy

Event Category

Talks and Lectures