Lena Wassermann

Lena Wassermann serves as a Researcher at the Chair of China Business and Economics within the Institute for Cultural Studies of East and South Asia at the University of Würzburg's Faculty of Philosophy. Funded by the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt), she investigates the economic dimensions of China's Social Credit System and its implications for German enterprises operating in China.

Her academic background includes:

• Bachelor's degree in Sinology and Economics from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
• Master's degree in Politics of East Asia from Ruhr University Bochum, with thesis research on private data's role in China's political economy

Her research integrates field experience from over two years in China, including academic studies at Nankai University in Tianjin and an internship at the German Consulate General in Guangzhou. She examines how China's data governance frameworks and Social Credit System impact foreign business operations, drawing on prior professional experience at the Mercator Institute for Chinese Studies (MERICS) in Berlin.

As a core member of the bidt-funded research group 'Learning from the frontrunner?', she provides the economic perspective in this multidisciplinary analysis of China's Social Credit System. Her work bridges academic research with practical policy implications for German and European business engagement with China.