Making Autocracy Work

I am an Assistant Professor in Princeton's Department of Politics and Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. My research focuses on Chinese politics and theories of authoritarian rule.

My book project investigates the nature of representation in authoritarian systems, specifically the politics surrounding China's National People's Congress (NPC). I argue that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is engineering a system of “representation within bounds” in the NPC, fostering information revelation but silencing political activism. Original data on deputy backgrounds and behaviors is used to explore the nature of representation, policymaking, and incentives in this constrained system.

My research has been featured in the Wall Street Journal's China Real Time Report, The New York Times (Chinese), and Phoenix Magazine (Chinese). Some of it is published or forthcoming in the American Political Science Review, The China Quarterly, Comparative Political Studies, Studies in Comparative International Development, and World Development.

Currently, I'm beginning a new set of projects on China. I'm exploring whether Chinese citizens believe state-controlled newspapers, the temporal determinants of dissident behavior and crackdowns, and new ways to measure public opinion. You can find more information on my working papers on my Research page.