AP @UTKnoxville | PhD @UCSDPolSci | MA @DukePoliSci. Studying authoritarian institutions, Chinese politics, and methodology. He/him 🌈
La Jolla, CA
Joined March 2016
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1/6
SSRN: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.…
I ran a rare randomized field experiment on law and politics in the most populous province in rural China 🇨🇳⚖️
For 20 weeks, across 70 villages and 60,000+ adults, I studied what happens when ordinary people get easier access to legal service.
Does that make them more compliant with the system—or more able to use it? What are the social and political implications of accessing law in autocracy? 👇
comments are welcome :)
Gary ziwen_Zu retweeted
📢The call for papers for the 2027 APSA Chinese Politics Mini-Conference is now out! Please submit your abstract by December 6, 2026, using this link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F…. This is my first time organizing this conference, together with a wonderful team. @MaryGao, Margaret Pearson, @vshih2, Susan Whiting, @Fiona_Cunning, Xue Gong, @john_d_minnich, jingyuan qian, @RatiganKerry @haozhang328 @zu_gary
Trade-Offs in Authoritarian Participatory Digital Surveillance: Evidence From China’s Sharp Eyes Project - Ziwen Zu, 2026 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.…
Some self propaganda: my second year paper and first solo publication out. It explores how China involves citizens in digital surveillance, showing mass participation is still important in the age of AI.
Just add it to my next semester Chinese politics syllabi!
Happy to report that my @CUP_Elements Rethinking Political Meritocracy is published and FREE to download until July 6th. 🧵 cambridge.org/core/elements/…
Gary ziwen_Zu retweeted
**Personal Finance Notes for New Faculty** I intentionally chose a red day to post this, to avoid giving the impression that I am encouraging people to buy stocks.
yiqingxu.org/guide/personal-…
In 2020, I wrote a short note on personal finance for a Chinese-speaking young faculty audience and have updated the numbers since then. Ye said this is my most-read piece of writing. 🤣
This is the English version.
Over the years, I have also given many of our international students a 30-minute tutorial on this topic when they start academic jobs in the US.
They are excellent at what they do, but knowledge about US financial markets is often lacking. I hope this helps.
Today I successfully defended my dissertation and officially became Dr. Zu. I cannot thank my advisors @vshih2, @mollyeroberts, @rxjia, Stephan Haggard, and Sebastian Saiegh enough for their guidance, support, and generosity throughout this journey.
Gary ziwen_Zu retweeted
Illiberal Law and Development by Susan H. Whiting
Explains how China achieved transformative economic development without secure property rights and regime durability despite conflict.
📚 cup.org/4vKSRqu
ALT Illiberal Law and Development by Susan H. Whiting
5/6
Incentives mattered—but not in the obvious way 🏅
Small gifts helped a bit.
But public recognition (being named a “Legal Knowledgeable Person”):
• increased participation persistence
• strengthened legal learning
• improved trust in legal institutions
And it worked best when paired with lawyer-led outreach.
6/6
The strongest combination:
⚖️ lawyer-led mobilization
🏅 public recognition
→ more follow-up consultations
→ largest reductions in village-level conflict 📉
Big picture:
The same state program can produce shallow compliance—or real legal empowerment—
depending on who mobilizes citizens and how participation is framed.
1/8 Updated version of my JMP working paper:
How do authoritarian regimes make law accessible without letting it become politically dangerous?
I study this through China’s legal-aid hotlines. 🧵
7/8
Evaluation pressure matters asymmetrically.
Praise improves both substantive and symbolic responsiveness.
Complaint pressure mostly improves the visible side of service—tone, patience, accommodation—more than the claim-enabling side.
8/8
So the key divide is not response vs. nonresponse.
It is recognition vs. empowerment.
Authoritarian legality at the frontline can be accessible, polite, and still selectively disempowering.
Updated version here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.…
Comments very welcome.