Public anger at the government is much bigger than in any earlier crises, and the anger could grow when the economic fallout of the epidemic fully unfolds. One thing for sure is that the social stability contract that has worked for so long—that the people tolerate the authoritarian rule so far as the government warrants economic prosperity and provides good governance—is broken in a big way.

Ho-Fung Hung, Henry M. and Elizabeth P. Wiesenfeld Professor in Political Economy, Department of Sociology, on the role of the coronavirus outbreak in highlighting governmental repression in China.

The Guardian , March 1, 2020