Biography
I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Government and International Affairs, Lingnan University in Hong Kong. Previously, I was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for the Study of Contemporary China at the University of Pennsylvania and East Asia Center at the University of Virginia. My research focuses on authoritarian politics, comparative political economy, and Chinese bureaucracy and governance. I am interested in using high-frequency and geo-located data to analyze political decision-making. My work has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Bloomberg, The Economist, NBC News, and other outlets.
I earned my Ph.D. in Political Science and M.A. in Economics from Duke University. Before that, I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Warwick.
You can contact me via email at hongshenzhu@ln.edu.hk.
PhD in Political Science, 2022
Duke University
MA in Economics, 2017
Duke University
BSc in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, 2015
University of Warwick
Research
Publications
“Twisted Tongue: Limits of China’s Propaganda during Crises and Policy Changes” With Tony Zirui Yang. Political Science Research and Methods. 2025. Open Access
“Crisis and Correction: Do Government Rectification Efforts Restore Citizen Trust After Governance Failure?” With Melanie Manion and Viola Rothschild. Political Behavior. 2025. link DOI
“Contentious Origins of Authoritarian Social Protection: China’s “Threat-driven” Strategy in Redistribution.” Studies in Comparative International Development. 2024. Open Access
“Applying Insights from China: A Typology for Subnational Comparative Politics.” With Viola Rothschild. Chinese Political Science Review. 2024. Open Access
“Dual Mandates in Chinese Congresses: Information and Cooptation.” With Melanie Manion and Viola Rothschild. Issues and Studies. 2022. Vol. 58, No. 1: 1-20. preprint DOI
Working Paper
“Community Policing and Political Participation in Contemporary China.” With Viola Rothschild. Presented at APSA Chinese Politics Mini-Conference 2024.
“Policy under Conflicting Mandates: Evidence from 1 Billion Cellphones during China’s COVID Lockdowns.” Presented at APSA Chinese Politics Mini-Conference 2022.
“How Adaptive Propaganda Works: Evidence from China.” With Xinzhuo Huang and Haibing Yan. Presented at UCSD/Carter Center Young Scholars Conference.
“Bureaucrat Selection under Weak State Capacity: Evidence from the Democratic Republic of Congo.” With Dongil Lee, Eric Mvukiyehe, and Christelle Tchoup. Presented at North East Universities Development Consortium 2025 Conference at Tufts University.
“Bureaucratic Favoritism, Local Lobbying, and Renewable Energy Development in China.” With Zeren Li and Chitao Yu. Scheduled to be presented at APSA Green Industrial Policy Mini-Conference 2025.
“Short-term Pain, Long-term Stain: Political Trust after Privatization of State-owned Enterprises in China” With Xingchen Lan. Revise & Resubmit at Political Behavior.
Teaching
Instructor
Introduction to Political Science Lingnan University. Spring 2025
International Political Economy Lingnan University. Spring 2025, Fall 2025
Political Economy of Development. Lingnan University. Fall 2024
Political Economy of Global China. University of Virginia. Fall 2023 syllabus
Chinese Politics. University of Virginia. Spring 2024 syllabus