Research in the field of Politics of Contemporary China examines the political institutions, governance practices, and societal dynamics shaping China’s domestic politics and its interactions with the global system. The central aim of this research area is to understand how political authority is exercised, contested, and transformed in contemporary China, and how China’s internal political dynamics shape global governance, development, and security outcomes.

A core focus of this research area is the interaction between state power and social conflict within China, as well as the political economy of China’s engagement abroad. Research addresses questions related to authoritarian governance, ethnic politics, energy and environmental governance, and China’s growing role in the Global South. Empirically, this research area emphasizes systematic analysis using both quantitative and qualitative methods, drawing on original datasets, archival sources, surveys, text-as-data approaches, and field-based research.

Research within this area also contributes to broader comparative and theoretical debates in political science, including authoritarian politics, conflict studies, international political economy, and global governance.

Research questions within this area include, but are not limited to:

• How do political incentives and institutional arrangements shape governance outcomes in an authoritarian setting like China?
• Why and under what conditions does ethnic inequality lead to conflict in China?
• How do local governments manage social conflict and exercise political control in ethnically diverse regions?
• What explains China’s overseas investment patterns, particularly in energy and digital infrastructure projects?
• How does China’s global economic engagement affect governance, sustainability, and political accountability in recipient countries?
• How do domestic dynamics and external geopolitical competition shape China’s foreign policy and international behavior?
• How does China frame emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, in domestic and international discourse?