Commentary: Actually, China’s social credit system isn’t the first and we ought to expect even more countries to use behavioural economics to nudge good citizen behaviour, says China commentator Tom McGregor.
By Tom McGregor
02 Mar 2019 04:00PM
BEIJING: Western media reports have swirled about China’s social credit system, which is intended to nudge Chinese citizens to adopt good behaviour, including motivating them to pay outstanding debts and fines, as well as encouraging them to obey the country’s laws and regulations.
China’s social credit system operates on a points system. If you are a law-abiding citizen who pays your dues in a timely manner, the government rewards you with welfare benefits, low interest rates on loans and more. But criminals, delinquents, and those who are default on debts, as well as those indicted for bad behavior when traveling overseas will have lower social credit rankings and be marked as having a “delisted” status.
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