Crypto Meets the Real World

Fiat money, generally speaking, is money that is issued and backed by states who promise to uphold its value. But that has not stopped people from imagining a world where currencies are ‘denationalised’. About 50 years ago, when economist Friedrich Hayek speculated on...

China’s Jumpy Take on Tech

In October 2020, Jack Ma Yun, the co-founder of Alibaba Group, gave a speech just days before his company’s FinTech arm, Ant Group, was about to launch the world’s largest IPO. The speech directly challenged the legitimacy of financial regulation in China. Not only...

Your Right to Technology

The COVID-19 pandemic has made abundantly clear that new technologies are critical to modern life. We have needed internet connections to sustain school, work, entertainment and social ties, and widespread distribution of new vaccine technologies to resist the virus....

The Appeal of Machine Justice

The Chinese judicial system has put millions of case judgements online and installed machines in courthouses that tell would-be litigants their chances of success. In one sense, this puts legal matters in the hands of ordinary citizens. But at the same time,...

Social Media and the Workplace

It is Chinese New Year, you are enjoying a meal with family when suddenly your phone pings. Your boss has sent you a virtual red packet on WeChat. Do you tuck the phone in your pocket and turn your attention back to your family, or respond right away? Increasingly in...