Image
Loading...
by Hieu Nguyen-Minh
Autocratic regimes continue to deepen their control even as information technology – once celebrated as a force for liberation – becomes more widespread.
Existing literature suggests that democratic‐looking institutions in these regimes, such as national assemblies, party networks and elections, serve as channels for gathering grassroots information on non‐sensitive issues.
The rise of digital tools raises new questions about whether traditional participatory mechanisms are being displaced by systems powered by big data and advanced processing capabilities.
My fieldwork focuses on conducting expert interviews to build a theory of upward information flow in single‐party regimes and to document the impact of information technology on those mechanisms.
Image
I have carried out 11 expert interviews in Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho with several high‐ranking state officials, policy consultants, faculty and researchers at public institutes.
One major challenge at the outset was gaining access. My initial framing around “information technology and democratic institutions” provoked wariness among potential interlocutors. Even close friends and family members refused to introduce me to people familiar with the matters.
It took weeks for me to realize I need to reframe the project around the exploration of the government’s national digital transformation program. Once I’ve done that, the number of prospective interviewees quickly outpace my capacity to conduct them properly.
Image
These semi-structured discussions allowed me to triangulate diverse perspectives on how information moves from the grassroots to the leadership. As a result, I find that participatory channels such as legislatures and the media still function as information‐gathering mechanisms. Information technology does not simply replace them; rather, it augments some while contributing to the gradual erosion of others.
While I was frustrated that reality was not as simple and elegant as the theory I concocted from my ivory tower, I learned that is the nature of research. Back in my corporate days (I used to work in an e-commerce company for 3 years before realizing my academic calling), we used to encourage the mindset where we “fail fast and fail often.”
I could not have asked for a better opportunity to test my idea at this early stage, thanks to APSI and SEAREG’s generous grants. This process has reminded me that good research is never static, and I am energized to keep refining my framework as I move closer to a theory that does justice to the complexity of reality.
Image
