ABSTRACT
Students of Chinese politics have taken a new methodological approach in recent years by conducting experimental studies. These studies have generated numerous new insights into Chinese politics and comparative political behaviors. However, the Chinese government is keen to control the information flow within society in order to maintain regime stability. In particular, the government is anxious about social science research studies conducted by foreign scholars and organizations that could potentially be regime destabilizing. Consequently, conducting experimental studies in China raises a number of challenges for researchers, ranging from experiment logistics to research design. On many occasions, scholars face ethical dilemmas between satisfying the scientific standards in their studies and ensuring the safety of local collaborators, respondents, and even scholars themselves. These issues are particularly salient when studying topics that are considered politically sensitive to the Chinese government.
