I am a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science and Scientific Computing at the University of Michigan.
During the 2026 Autumn Quarter, I am a Big Ten Academic Alliance Traveling Scholar at the University of Chicago.
Research Interests: Political Economy of Technology; Political Communication; International Political Economy; International Business and Nonmarket Strategy; Generative and Agentic AI; Computational Social Science.
My dissertation examines social media platforms that also function as digital marketplaces. This combination of social media and e-commerce, known as social shopping, lets users buy products directly through the content they view, such as videos and posts. I study how content creators use political content to attract attention and sell products, and how governments regulate these marketplaces across countries.
My work on China's platforms is part of a broader research agenda on Chinese domestic politics and international relations. I also study AI's political and social implications and the reliability of AI-assisted social science research.
CV (available upon request; updated September 2026)
The Political Economy of Digital Platforms: Essays on Polarization, Nationalism, and Digital Trade
My dissertation examines how commercial incentives and government regulation shape digital platforms, political communication, and cross-border commerce.
When Polarization Pays: How Content Creators Exploit Partisanship for Engagement and Sales
Working Paper, 2026
Algorithmic Nationalism
Working Paper, 2026
The Varieties of Digital Trade Regimes: How States Govern a Global Marketplace
Working Paper, 2026
AI Sovereignty
with Zongyi Huo, Zeyang Yu, and Liangyuan Zeng
Work in Progress
AI and Labor
Work in Progress
AI-Assisted Multilingual Text Analysis
with Junjie Li
Under Review
AI-Assisted Causal Inference
with Junjie Li and Zeyang Yu
Work in Progress
AI-Assisted Experimental Design
with Junjie Li and Zeyang Yu
Work in Progress
Domestic Migrants' Responsiveness to Electoral Mobilization under Authoritarianism: Evidence from China's Grassroots Elections
with Ji Yeon Hong
Electoral Studies, Vol. 66: 102170, 2020
[DOI]
The Competence Trap: Visible Gray-Zone Coercion and Public Confidence in Target States
with Liangyuan Zeng and Charlotte Tianran Ye
Under Review
Insurgent Investment: Unfinished Infrastructure and Rebellion in Weak States
with Zeren Li
Under Review
Economic Incentives and Identity-Based Perceptions and Behaviors in China
with Ji Yeon Hong and Jipeng Zhang
Revise and Resubmit
Partisan Electoral Cycles and Hawkish Sentiment in the US Congress
with Mary Gallagher and Lindsey-Grey Quint
Work in Progress
Recipient of the John W. Kingdon Teaching Award (2025-2026), Department of Political Science, University of Michigan
Teaching ratings are the mean of all University-wide instructor evaluation items, on a 5-point scale.
POLSCI 699: Statistical Methods in Political Research II (Ph.D.)
2026: Teaching rating: 5.0/5.0 (Winter 2026, Section 002, 18 students)
2025: Teaching rating: 5.0/5.0 (Winter 2025, Section 002, 15 students)
POLSCI 490: Introduction to Game Theory and Formal Models (Undergraduate)
2023: Teaching rating: 5.0/5.0 (Winter 2023, Section 003, 21 students)
2023: Teaching rating: 4.9/5.0 (Winter 2023, Section 002, 22 students)
2021: Teaching rating: 4.9/5.0 (Fall 2021, Section 003, 19 students)
2021: Teaching rating: 4.8/5.0 (Fall 2021, Section 002, 20 students)
POLSCI 369: Politics of International Economic Relations (Undergraduate)
2024: Teaching rating: 4.9/5.0 (Fall 2024, Section 002, 24 students)
2024: Teaching rating: 4.8/5.0 (Fall 2024, Section 005, 25 students)
POLSCI 140: Introduction to Comparative Politics (Undergraduate)
2022: Teaching rating: 4.9/5.0 (Fall 2022, Section 010, 19 students)
2022: Teaching rating: 4.8/5.0 (Fall 2022, Section 008, 18 students)
2022: Teaching rating: 4.9/5.0 (Winter 2022, Section 004, 19 students)
2022: Teaching rating: 4.9/5.0 (Winter 2022, Section 002, 18 students)
2022: Teaching rating: 4.8/5.0 (Winter 2022, Section 005, 20 students)
Ameen Abdur-Rasheed (Information Technology), Sultan Almarzooqi (Data Science), Yuxing (Nemo) Chen (Political Science), Rebecca Davidov (Economics), Hamza Dinki (Economics), Miaoya Feng (Economics), Bartu Geyik (Cognitive Science), Ajay Gopinath (Data Science), Mehek Gupta (Statistics), Spencer Hu (Financial Mathematics), Oliver Kammeraad (Data Science), Sydney Lapham (Political Science), Xiaohan Lu (Economics), Sky Ni (Business Administration), Zhengkun Ou (Math), Grace Park (Communication), Nikhil Srinvasan (Data Science), Kefei Xiao (Data Science), and Zhengxue Zhu (Statistics).
Xintian Wang, University of Rochester (2024)
Liangyuan Zeng, Princeton University (2024)
Renji Zhou, MIT (2025)
Zhonghan Xie, University of Michigan (2026)
Yuxing (Nemo) Chen, Harvard University (2026)
Junjie Li, Software Engineer, Amazon (2025)
Zijing Wang, Operations Director, Save the Water (2026)
Last updated: October 2026