International Political Economy
Yajie Wang
Assistant Professor of International Political Economy at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. I study the political economy of globalization, economic openness, and geopolitical competition, with a focus on China and emerging economies.
Biography
About
I am an Assistant Professor in the Division of Global and Area Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science and M.A. in Statistics and Data Science from Yale University, and an M.Phil. in International Relations from the University of Oxford.
My research sits at the intersection of comparative political economy, international political economy, and Chinese politics. I combine original data collection, statistical analysis, qualitative fieldwork, and research design to study state capacity, fiscal institutions, industrial policy, firm behavior, and immigration policy.
My current projects examine fiscal centralization and redistribution under globalization, as well as how firms and states respond to trade shocks, sanctions, and regulatory uncertainty. I also teach research methods, political economy, international relations, and industrial policy.
Research
Dissertation, working papers, and ongoing projects in international relations, political economy, and comparative politics.
Dissertation
Working Papers
Embedded Fiscal Centralization: How Economic Openness Increased Fiscal Capacity and Redistribution in Contemporary China
CPS Revise & Resubmit
Strategic Liberalization: The Political Economy of Targeted Tariff Reductions in China
ISQ Revise & Resubmit
The Politics of Deglobalization: Trade Shocks and Divergent Local Government Responses in China
Work in Progress
The Returns to Tax Compliance: How Chinese Firms Navigate Tax Reform
With Xiaobo Lü
Vying for Soft Power: How Great Power Competition Affects Public Support for High-Skilled Immigration
With Jiahua Yue
Reading the State's Mind: Nuclear Sanctions and Heterogeneous Firm Response
With Eric Jeong
The Unlikely Alliance: How Chinese Exporters Navigate Trade Tensions Through International Alliance
Work in progress
Managing Openness in Hard Times: Export Slowdown and Bureaucratic Enforcement in China
Work in progress
Teaching
Current course offerings and previous teaching experience.
GLB5020 - Social Science Research Methods
CUHK-Shenzhen, Spring 2026
GLB5880 - Industrial Policy and Economic Development
CUHK-Shenzhen, Spring 2026
Yale University - Teaching Fellow
Game Theory and Political Science (Spring 2024); Applied Quantitative Research Design (Fall 2023); Introduction to International Relations (Spring 2023, Spring 2021); The Rise of China (Fall 2022); Fundamentals of Statistical Inference (Fall 2020)
Beijing Foreign Studies University - Co-Instructor
Introduction to Research Methods (Spring 2022)
Curriculum vitae
Academic profile
Appointments
Assistant Professor
Chinese University of Hong Kong, ShenzhenJan 2026-Present
Division of Global and Area Studies, School of Humanities and Social Science.
Research Fellow
University of PennsylvaniaAug 2024-Jan 2026
Perry World House.
Education
Ph.D. in Political Science
Yale UniversityMay 2025
Fields: International Relations, Political Economy, and Comparative Politics.
M.A. in Statistics and Data Science
Yale University2021
Graduate degree in statistics and data science.
M.Phil. in Political Science
Yale University2021
Graduate degree in political science.
M.Phil. in International Relations
University of Oxford2018
Graduate degree in international relations.
Yenching Scholar
Peking University2015-2016
Yenching Academy scholar in Beijing, China.
B.A. in English Literature
Beijing Foreign Studies University2015
Undergraduate degree in English literature.
Awards
- University Development Fund Grant, CUHK-Shenzhen (2026)
- The Cosmos x IHS AI-Accelerated Scholarship (2026)
- Humane Studies Research Grant (2025)
- Postdoctoral Research Grant, University of Pennsylvania (2025)
- Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation Doctoral Fellowship (2024-2025)
- Coca-Cola World Fund at Yale (2024)
- Humane Studies Fellowship (2023-2024)
- University Dissertation Fellowship, Yale University (2021-2022)
- Hayek Fund Fellowship (2021-2022)
Professional
Conference Presentations
GSIPE (Berkeley 2025), CPRP 2024, NEWEPS 2024, New Faces in Chinese Politics (2024), VIPES 2024, MPSA 2024, APSA 2022-2025
Professional Service
Reviewer for American Political Science Review
Languages and Skills
Mandarin Chinese (native); R, Stata, Python, ArcGIS, LaTeX
Fieldwork Experience
Mainland China (Aug 2021-Aug 2022)
Contact
Start a conversation
I welcome research collaborations, teaching inquiries, and conversations about political economy, trade, and China.
Write an emailOpens a new message in your default email app.
- School direct line
- +86 755 2351 6865
- Location
- CUHK-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
- GitHub
- github.com/robin621