Wednesday’s Big Idea
Today's Big Idea: Transparency
The Western world has followed China's economic rise with bated breath, awed and somewhat frightened by the phenomenon of "managed capitalism" – by how much it's possible to accomplish how quickly, economically speaking, when you don't have to worry too much about human rights, the environment, or those other messy barriers businesses and government officials in democracies must face.
By extensive policing of the internet and suppression of dissenting voices, China has managed all this at a time when the internet has made life across the globe ever-more transparent. But it's a constant and expensive battle for Beijing, and one that looks increasingly untenable.
