Three Faces of the State in Local Cyberspace Administrations: Development, Regulation, and Surveillance in China’s Internet Governance

Abstract How does the Chinese party-state address the diverse and often conflicting challenges of internet governance? This study examines this question by analyzing the institutional design of municipal cyberspace administrations (MCAs), a key yet understudied group of local state actors. It brings together three often siloed state frameworks—the developmental state, the regulatory state, and the surveillance state—to theorize the roles MCAs are tasked with performing. Based on content analysis of responsibility areas from 137 MCAs, the study finds that these institutions are designed to fulfill all three roles, which coexist but are hierarchically arranged, with surveillance as the dominant focus. These roles include censoring the internet to maintain social stability, regulating China’s internet industry and infrastructure, and promoting the development of local digital economies. A case study of the Xianyang MCA further illustrates how these roles are reflected in organizational design and annual activities, with a notable emphasis on developmental tasks. The findings demonstrate the value of an integrated state framework for understanding the dynamic and multilayered nature of China’s internet governance regime.