Research Interests

Participatory budgeting, political parties and organization, comparative political institutions, transnational contentious politics, social movement and election, Latin American politics, Brazil, Hong Kong.

Publications

Book Review (solicited)

  • Book review of Democracy at Work: Pathways to Well-Being in Brazil (Brian Wampler, Natasha Borges Sugiyama, and Michael Touchton. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 2020) (The Developing Economies 2021).

Working Papers

  • "Voice After Exit: How Transnational Ties and Integration Affect Hong Kong Diaspora’s Policy Preference in Five Host Countries”. (with Eddy Yeung, Ka Ming Chan, Sanho Chung, Athena Tong & Sam Yip)
  • "From Legislative Chamber to Echo Chamber: Evaluating the Change of Hong Kong Legislators’ Floor Performance after the Purge of the Opposition”. (with Stan Hok-Wui Wong & Sanho Chung)
  • “Resistance from Afar: Evolution of Contentious Repertoires in Hong Kong Diaspora's Transnational Mobilization during the 2019 Anti-ELAB Movement”
  • "Party Organization Matters: The Diffusion of PB under the Workers' Party in Brazil"

Ongoing Projects

Hong Kong Diaspora Studies Initiative (HKDSI)
Co-investigators Eddy Yeung, Ka Ming Chan, Sanho Chung, Athena Tong, Sam Yip
HKDSI launched an original online survey targeting Hong Kong diaspora in five host counties (The UK, Canada, the US, Taiwan, and Japan). The project aims to understand how different factors such as level of integration in the host country, strength of transnational ties with Hong Kong, and feeling of guilt regarding the 2019 Movement shape Hong Kong diaspora's political attitude, voting behavior, engagement in transnational mobilization in their new homes.

Concluded Projects

Comparative Assessment of Electoral Risks (CAER)

Co-investigator with Paul Friesen, Ilana Rothkoph, Luis Schenoni and Romelia Solano
The CAER surveyed 150 members of political science professional associations who specialize in elections, both in the US and abroad, for their evaluations on the likelihood and impact of various threats to the US electoral process, as well as possible strategies to mitigate those threats.

Panel discussion sponsored by the Keough School of Global Affairs (Oct 26, 2020)
The report American Democracy at Risk: A Global Comparative Perspective is available HERE.

How Citizens Meet the State: Origins of Institutional Trust in South Bend, IN

Co-investigator with Jacob Turner
How do the interactions with distinct state organizations such as the police, public healthcare workers, and other civil servants influence political attitudes and behaviors? Our preliminary investigation and theoretical framework suggests that exposure to police violence can undermine the positive impact of quality public goods on feelings of inclusion and trust.

The project received the 2023 Regional Breakthrough Award from the Lucy Institute at the University of Notre Dame.

Hong Kong Voices in the US

Co-investigator with Victoria Hui
This is the first survey of its kind that examines the political attitudes of Hong Kongers who have lived, worked or studied in the United States, and Americans who have similar strong ties to Hong Kong. The project aims to examine how the vote choice of Hong Kong-Americans in the 2020 U.S. elections is impacted by the political turmoil in Hong Kong.

The preliminary survey is available at the The Diplomat
Panel Discussion co-sponsored by the Liu Institute of Asia and Asian Studies and Kellogg Institute for International Studies (Jan 20, 2021)
Working Paper presented in American Political Science Association Conference 2021

Presidential Transition Index (PTI)

Co-investigator with Paul Friesen, Rachel Gagnon, Shadwa Ibrahim, William Kakenmaster and Denis McDonough
The Presidential Transition Index (PTI) aims to identify potentially weak areas of the US presidential transition process and to provide the public with a weekly updated assessment of the state of the 2020 presidential transition process.

Weekly updates are available HERE.
The preliminary report Presidential Transition Index: Contemporaneous Assessments of the Trump-Biden Transition is available HERE.

In the Press:

Workshops and Panels