Rightful resistance co-opted? Legal mobilisation in China

Autocratic governments frequently introduce institutional reforms to strengthen support and manage opposition, yet it remains unclear who actually responds to these initiatives. In this talk, Dr Chao-yo Cheng (Birkbeck University) explores administrative litigation reforms in China, designed to make courts more accessible and transparent for citizens challenging local government actions.

Drawing on an original survey experiment, the study examines how different groups react to reform information and how this shapes their willingness to pursue legal action. The findings reveal a striking divide: while reforms reduce perceived barriers for regime insiders and higher-income citizens, they can unintentionally heighten obstacles for lower-income and less politically empowered groups.

Join the Lau China Institute at King's at 4.30pm on Wednesday 20 May for a discussion by guest speaker, Dr Chao-yo Cheng from Birkbeck University, chaired by the Institute's Dr Charlotte Goodburn.

Chao-Yo Cheng is a Lecturer in Quantitative Political and Social Research at Birkbeck, University of London. At Birkbeck, he is also a Research Associate of the Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research and Co-Director of the Centre for Political Economy and Institutional Studies. He is currently a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Methodology at the London School of Economics. Combining computational, quantitative, and qualitative methods, his work addresses a broad range of topics in the political economy of governance and development. He is currently working on a collaborative book project, Birds in the Cage? How Administrative Litigation Reshapes Political Control in Xi's China. The book builds on the growing literature exploring how authoritarian courts mobilise public participation to enhance bureaucratic control while mitigating the risks of collective action.

Charlotte Goodburn is Reader in Chinese Politics and Development and Deputy Director of the Lau China Institute, King’s College London. She is also attached to the Department of International Development at King’s. Before starting at King’s, she was a post-doctoral researcher in the Centre of Development Studies at the University of Cambridge. Dr Goodburn’s research and teaching engages with the politics of internal migration; urbanisation; the comparative development of India and China; and the movement of policies and “models” into and out of China. She completed her PhD in the Department of Land Economy at Cambridge and has a BA Hons (in History) and an MPhil (in Contemporary Chinese Studies), also from the University of Cambridge.

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