My dissertation, Politics of Writing, examines when states institutionally adopt and reform writing systems and the behavioral effects of such linguistic recognition.
To theorize why languages change their scripts and writing systems, I conceptualize the standardization of scripts and writing systems as political institutions and formalize the theory of script adoption as a sequential game between a state and an ethnic group. To test the model’s implications, I built an original dataset documenting script reform occurrences for languages spoken by ethnic groups in Asia and Europe since 1900.
I examine the effect of script choice on political attitudes in the following cases: Japan, China, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. The Japan study examines how script variations between Sinitic characters (Kanji), Japanese syllabaries (Hiragana and Katakana), and Romaji (Latin alphabet) affect voter attitudes and electoral behavior. The China & Taiwan study examines script choice for Hokkien and Hakka and assesses whether the absence of a standardized writing system can be a durable equilibrium. The third study investigates the political implications of reintroducing the Mongol bichig and Latinization of Kazack on ethnic and national attitudes.
Gender, Ethnicity, and Intersectionality in Cabinets: Asia and Europe in Comparative Perspective, Cambridge Elements, with Amy Liu, Roman Hlatky, Keith Padraic Chew, Eoin Power, Sam Selsky, and Betty Compton.
"When Bilingual Ballot Designs Promote or Undermine Inclusivity: Evidence from Three Studies", Public Opinion Quarterly (2026), with Amy Liu, Sam Selsky, and Joel Yew.
"Languages and Linkages: Explaining Diaspora Attitudes towards the Ancestral Homeland", Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics (2026), with Amy Liu and Richard Turcsanyi.
"The framing effects of COVID-19 on ethnic intolerance: evidence from Romania." East European Politics 38, no. 4 (2022): 617-640. with Amy Liu and Eoin Power.
"Computational social science for nonprofit studies: Developing a toolbox and knowledge base for the field." VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations (2021): 1-12. with Ji Ma, Islam Akef Ebeid, Arjen de Wit, Yongzheng Yang, René Bekkers, and Pamala Wiepking.
"Three Approaches for Surveying Hard-to-Reach Communities: Evidence from the English-Limited Speakers among the Asian Americans", with Yoo Seung Wook et al.
Shared Ethnicity, Broken Reciprocity: When Public Attitudes Turn Negative on Coethnics Returning from Abroad'', with Amy Liu, Jeong Hyun Kim, and Yesola Kweon
"From Threat to Need? Framing Immigration as a Solution to Demographic Decline Fails to Increase Immigration Support", with Jeong Hyun Kim, Yesola Kweon and Amy Liu.
"Post-Covid healthcare in the PRC", 2022, Asia Society Australia.
"Why China’s Economic Reforms Often Backslide", 2019, The Diplomat.
"Gaokao: reform and reality clash", 2019, China Policy.
"Making commercial R&D a state priority", 2018, China Policy.
"Trials in Pharmaceutical Innovation", 2017, EUROBiz.