Hello! I am a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at Duke University, researching information politics and political behavior in authoritarian regimes.  I received a M.A. in Political Science from Duke University, and a B.A. from Beijing Foreign Studies University.  

Observing the recent rise of digital authoritarianism, my research interest lies at the intersection between authoritarian political institutions, regime transition, and citizen behavior. I am interested in adopting advanced social science research methods to explore the dynamic between information-based state control and repression and citizens’ attitude and behavior change in authoritarian regimes, with a focus on China. My dissertation projects address the following research questions: How does information flow between the dictator and the mass public? How does information structure impact these two different actors? What does changing information structure imply about regime stability?   I draw on a range of data sources, including survey data, social media content, and historical and archival records. My dissertation has been supported by the the Institute for Humane Studies.

You can find my CV here. You  can reach out to me at ying.chi[at]duke.edu.