about me

I am currently Lecturer in Chinese Politics at King's College London. In September I will be joining the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics & Political Science. Previously I was a fellow at the U.S. - China Institute at University of Southern California and taught at USC's School of International Relations. I received my Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

My research interests are primarily focused on state and society relations, broadly defined. I am interested in the evolving relationship between social actors with states (at both domestic and international levels), particularly in the authoritarian context. Much of my empirical work examines environmental degradation, global health crises, and international development aid, making my research program as international relations in scope as it is comparative.

My book, Social Organizations and the Authoritarian State in China (2013, Cambridge University Press), examines the relationship of social organizations (sometimes referred to as nongovernmental organizations or NGOs) and various levels of government in China, from the center to the provincial and local. In a first of its kind comparative study of Chinese NGOs in several issue areas—environmental protection, HIV/AIDS prevention, and gay and lesbian rights—I  show how these groups navigate the tight political spaces afforded to them in the last decade. This research provides a better accounting of the current state of civil society in China thereby leading to some more realistic expectations about the future of the third sector and prospects for political change. This project builds upon previous research I conducted while on staff at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC.

If you arrived at this page in search of information on interview data related to my research—most notable, my article 'The Political Economy of Social Organization Registration in China' in The China Quarterly—please follow this link.

Given the practical implications of my research interests and in the spirit of the "Wisconsin Idea," I aim to make my work consumable for both academic and policy communities. To this end, I have adapted my research for general audiences, having published op-eds in Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, and South China Morning Post.  For more, please visit my research page. 

To contact me, feel free to send an email!