Research Process

The China Index covers 9 Domains: Academia, Domestic Politics, Economy, Foreign Policy, Law Enforcement, Media, Military, Society, and Technology. Each Domain comprises 11 Indicators (99 Indicators in total) devised by the Index Committee, each of which corresponds to an observable phenomenon of PRC influence.

STAGE 1

SELECT REGIONAL PARTNERS

1
DTL Staff
Call for regional partners
  • Open call within CITW network.
  • Targeted call for potential applicants.
2
DTL StaffCITW Advisory Board
Select eligible and qualified regional partners
  • Check eligibility requirements (*See Appendix A) for regional partner applicants. 
  • Review applicants' work and research experience in China studies to make final selection.
  • Provide methodological training for regional partners.
STAGE 2

SELECT LOCAL EXPERTS

3
Regional expert
Submit local expert list

Regional partners identify qualified and trustworthy local experts within a country.

4
DTL Staff
Select eligible local experts
  • Check eligibility requirements (*See Appendix A) for local experts.
  • Provide methodological training for local experts.
STAGE 3

INVESTIGATE & RESPOND TO INDICATORS

5
Local expert
Respond to factual Indicators

Local experts observe PRC influence based on presence, significance & scale. (*See Appendix B)

6
Local expert
Provide supporting evidence

If graded "Yes" or "1-4", experts must provide references supporting the chosen response.(*See Appendix C)

STAGE 4

REVIEW & VERIFY

7
ReviewerLocal expert
Review & verify responses

Initial responses from local experts will be reviewed by at least one reviewer. In case of disagreement, regional partners will reconcile the variance.

8
DTL Staff
Check data completeness

DTL checks the completeness of the responses (e.g. URL validity, supporting evidence).if data is incomplete, feedback and modification will be required.

Feedback and modification
FINISH

PUBLISH

In addition to final Indicator responses, regional partner names, local experts (respondents) & reviewers will be shown on the website unless they wish to remain.

*For safety reasons, local experts may choose not to reveal their identity or association with this project.