From Crisis Management to Infrastructural Power: How China Selectively Institutionalized COVID-19 Governance

The resilience of the Chinese party-state derives partly from the expansion of its infrastructural power. Drawing on District W’s governance during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the case study shows that crises, while disrupting routine governance, also create opportunities to strengthen infrastructural power. After the crisis subsided, the Chinese party-state selectively institutionalized certain crisis management practices—considering institutional compatibility, social acceptance, and fiscal affordability—with the explicit aim of enhancing infrastructural power. This process not only expanded the state’s organizational and governance capacities but also generated new burdens. The case of District W demonstrates that the Chinese party-state can not only respond to crises but also convert crisis-era measures into durable institutional resources for routine governance.