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The rise of populism in Western Europe is often portrayed as a reaction to globalisation and supra-national integration processes. However, the domestic-international divide is only one aspect of the scalar organisation of government. In this article, we explore the relationship between populist attitudes and orientations towards state scales more generally. Drawing on a representative survey of 4033 citizens in Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland, we show that populist attitudes are linked to preferences for those state territories viewed as 'closer to the people' not only in a metaphorical but also in a scalar sense. The results suggest that the rise of populism should not only be considered a response to a crisis of party government in a context of globalisation but also as a response to a crisis of national statehood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey conducted in 2010 showed that Chinese citizens had rather positive impressions of the EU and were optimistic for the future of China—EU relations. Against the background of increasing tensions between China and the EU, this study focuses on the changes in the Chinese public's perceptions of the EU and of China-EU relations in the last decade. The analysis uses data from the original 2010 survey, as well as from new survey conducted in fall 2020, each including roughly 3000 respondents in six major Chinese cities. Results are that the Chinese public's overall perception of the EU as well as of China-EU relations remains one of general goodwill, even though critical opinions of the EU have become more widespread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Big data technology has become increasingly prevalent in facilitating the delivery of government services and public goods in China and beyond. This article seeks to examine how big data can be leveraged in poverty governance in rural China, and what the political implications are. This phenomenon of big data-driven welfare governance is particularly salient considering the broader context of governmental digital transformation, both within China and globally. This research sheds light on how big data usage functions in poverty alleviation, highlighting general motivations and developments in Chinese data-centric welfare governance. More importantly, this article introduces the novel concept of "digital cybernetic capacity" to examine public sector modernization as big data transforms the landscape of welfare delivery and governance. By delving into the intersection between technology and social welfare, we explicate how the use of big data in social welfare policies can go beyond merely improving information capacity to redefine state capacity. This article argues that such a new governance ecosystem, driven as it is by data technologies, not only provides insights about the transformative resilience of Chinese governance but also opens a new theoretical frontier for research into other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]