I’m the Jill McGovern and Steven Muller Assistant Professor of China Studies and International Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
My research looks at China’s economic and political development, with a focus on how central-local relations shape political incentives and local economic and governance outcomes. I also look at China’s economic and institutional development in a broader comparative lens to provide insights into questions related to growth slowdowns and middle income transitions. Finally, my research analyzes the implications of China’s changing development model for China’s foreign economic behavior and for U.S. foreign policy.
Previously, I was an Economist at the World Bank and a China Public Policy Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. At SAIS, I was the U.S. Director of the Pacific Community Initiative from 2017-2022. I was a National Committee on U.S.-China Relations Public Intellectual Program (PIP) fellow for 2021-2023, a Woodrow Wilson China Fellow for 2021-2022, a visiting scholar at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in 2013, and a University of Chicago and Ford Foundation New Generation China Scholar for 2012-2013. I received my MA and PhD in China Studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS and my BA in Economics from Columbia University.