I wonder how much this costs in economic loss just to keep the populous in the dark about the realities of the party?<p>Can you still access information you need in what ever industry youre in? Can you find the right scientific answers to your questions? Does it slow down traffic? Does it cripple innovation, R&D, and technology exports? etc<p>I'd love to see a study about this without being about politics. I remember reading a book about China by a New Yorker journalist and he believes their information control is very very effective and political dissent against the party is pretty non existant - not just repressed but people just don't care. So I'm curious at what external costs, other than the obvious loss of freedom of politics, are a consequence.