From Aid Watch (though their chart is prettier than mine):
| Tier | Type of knowledge | Recommended actions | System | Compatible with autocracy? |
| (1) | Certainty (known knowns) | Just do it | Administration | Yes |
| (2) | Probability (known unknowns) | Hypothesis testing | Academic freedom | Temporarily Yes, eventually No |
| (3) | Ignorance (unknown unknowns) | Decentralized feedback and accountability | Individual liberty | No |
This all sounds fairly accurate, but when applied to China it gets kind of odd.
Tier one: China is obviously an autocracy (or at least an administrative autocracy)! There’s no democracy, and it has a sort of omni-present bureaucracy…
well…
Tier two: China is obviously operates under Academic Freedom (or more accurately Hypothesis testing! The unofficial slogan of the government is “crossing the river by feeling the stones,” they’re all about testing hypothesis and admitting when they are wrong…
well…
Tier three: China is obviously all about accountability and individual liberty! Chinese voices are regularly heard through various unofficial channels, the government has shown its responsiveness to public opinion, and often people just straight up ignore the law…
well…
As per usual, its not that simple.