This book examines the political-economic dynamics in the development of a leading global Internet giant: Alibaba.

As both a prominent example of, as well as providing the basic infrastructure for, China's outward expansion, Alibaba demonstrates the complex interplay between different state agencies and units of capital in the context of the rise of global China. Hong Shen investigates the development and expansions of Alibaba and discusses how Alibaba has not only become a leader of China's increasingly globalizing internet but has also increasingly served as a basic infrastructure model for other Chinese companies to go global. Shen also addresses how this process has been constantly shaped and reshaped by complex state-capital interactions along the way. This book shows how different units of capital, both inside and outside of China, have interacted with Alibaba's developmental strategies and illustrates how different state agencies, both domestic and international, have enabled or constrained the company's development, especially its global expansion.

This book will appeal to students and scholars of critical political economy of media, global media and digital industries, communication, technology and society, and internet studies. It will also be relevant to policy-makers working in the arena of global internet and trade policies.

About the Author

Hong Shen is a Systems Scientist at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, USA. Her research primarily focuses on the social and policy implications of information technologies, and global Internet industry and policy (with an emphasis on China). She also teaches Critical AI Studies for Public Policy and Fairness, Accountability, Transparency, Ethics in Sociotechnical Systems.

Book Information
ISBN 9780367755300
Author Hong Shen
Format Hardback
Page Count 78
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 222g