Dr. Yu Liu
Associate Professor, Dept. of Politics, Faculty of Social Science, Tsinghua University
Education
2000-2006: Ph.D., Department of Political Science, Columbia University
1996-1999: M.A., Department of International Politics, Renmin University of China
1992-1996: B.A., Department of International Politics, Renmin University of China
Professional Experiences
2010- : Associate Professor, Department of Politics, Tsinghua University
2007-2010: Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge University
2006-2007: Post-doc Fellow, Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University
1999-2000: Assistant Researcher, Research Institute for Development in 21st Century, Tsinghua University
Research Interests
Comparative Democratization; New Democracies; Chinese Politics; Chinese Revolution; American Politics.
Teaching Experiences
Introduction to Comparative Politics; Comparative Democratic Transition; Introduction to American Politics; Journey of Democracy; Political Development; State; Chinese Politics.
Publications
Books:
l The Day After: Gains, Losses, and Lessons of New Democracies. (in Chinese) Hongkong Chinese University Press, 2023.
l The Art of the Possible: 30 Lectures on Comparative Politics. (in Chinese) Guangxi Normal University Press, 2022.
l The Stage of Ideas. (in Chinese) Zhejiang University Press, 2013 (Collection of political columns)
l Details of Democracy: Essays on Contemporary American Politics, (in Chinese) Shanghai Sanlian Press, 2009 (Collection of political columns on American politics)
Published Papers and Book Chapters:
l Yu Liu, Yu-Sung Su and Wenquan Wu, “How modernization theory has stumbled in China: A political interception perspective,” Democratization, 2023, 20(2): 302-324
l Yu Liu, “Two concepts of rights and the divergence of French and American revolutions,” (in Chinese) Journal of Renmin University of China, Vol 1. 2022
l Yu Liu, “One and many ‘us’es,” (in Chinese), Preface to Fukuyama’s Identity (Chinese edition), Zhongyi Press, 2021.
l Yu Liu, “Developments and setbacks of the Third-Wave democratization.” (in Chinese) Explorations and Debates, No.10, 2020
l Yu Liu, “Why are new democracies so vulnerable: the perspective of economic policies.” (in Chinese) Explorations and Debates, No.8. 2019.
l Yu Liu, “Crises and resilience of contemporary liberal democracies,” (in Chinese) Explorations and Debates, No.7, 2018.
l Yu Liu, “Post-modernization and nostalgia: American political cultural conflicts behind the Trump phenomenon.” (in Chinese) American Studies, No.6, 2018
l Yu Liu, “Lessons of new democracies for China”, Journal of Chinese Political Science, May 2017
l Yu Liu, “The rise and fall of political violence in democratic transition: Indonesia as a case” (in Chinese), Xue Hai, 2017 Vol.2.
l Yu Liu, “Is there a tradeoff between democratization and stability?”, Social Science Quarterly, Feb. 2017
l Yu Liu, “Does civil society facilitate democratic consolidation?” （in Chinese），Open Times, 2017 Vol.1.
l Yu Liu, “How to save the world?” Preface to Paul Collier’s Wars, Guns, and Votes (Chinese edition), Nanjing University Press, 2017
l Yu Liu, “Democracy and populism: On American populism” (in Chinese), Exploration and Debate, 2016 Vol.10.
l Yu Liu, “The State with a surname,” Journal of Chinese Governance, 2016 1(3).
l Yu Liu, “Two models of democracy and democratic consolidation in the Third Wave,” (in Chinese), Open Times, 2016 Vol.5
l Yu Liu, “Changes in state capacity after democratization: A typological analysis of the Third Wave Countries, 1974-2014,” (in Chinese), Xue Hai, 2016 Vol.2.
l Yu Liu, “Has democratization harmed economic freedom?” (in Chinese), Renmin University Xuebao, 2015 Vol.5
l Yu Liu, “Has the Third Wave democratization failed?” (in Chinese), New Political Economic Review, 2015 Vol.5
l Yu Liu, “How to get to Denmark?” Preface to Francis Fukuyama’s Political Development and Political Decay (Chinese edition), Guangxi Shida Press, 2015
l Yu Liu, “The end of reform in China.” (with the pseudoname Youwei), Foreign Affairs, 2015 94(3).
l Yu Liu, “Between love and fear: the logic of totalitarian rule under Stalin” (in Chinese), Du Shu, 2015 Vol 1.
l Yu Liu, “Bring the state back in,” Preface to Francis Fukuyama’s Origins of Political Order (Chinese edition), Guangxi Shida Press, 2014.
l Yu Liu, “The long ending of history,” Preface to Francis Fukuyama’s End of History and the Last Man (Chinese edition), Guangxi Shida Press, 2014.
l Yu Liu, “What are we talking about when we talk about culture?” (in Chinese), Du Shu, 2013 Vol.9.
l Yu Liu, “In the name of goodness: The moral mobilization in Maoist era,” (in Chinese), New History Studies, 2013 Vol.7
l Yu Liu, “Why China will democratize,” (first author, with Dingding Chen), Washington Quarterly, 2012 35(1).
l Yu Liu, “Can economic development lead to democracy: The rise, decline and revival of the Modernization Theory,” (in Chinese), Renmin University Xuebao, 2011 Vol.4.
l Yu Liu, “Idealism or realism: An analysis of the motives of political participation under Mao," (in Chinese), Xue Hai, 2010 Vol.5.
l Yu Liu, “The Maoist discourses and the mobilization of emotions in revolutionary China,” in Modern China, 2010 36(3)
l Yu Liu, “Why did it go so high: The political mobilization of the agricultural collectivization in China,” in China Quarterly. 2006 Vol.187
Working Papers:
l Yu Liu, Wenquan Wu, Meng Zhu and Donald Lien, “Concepts of democracy and democratic decline in the 21st century.” (under review)
l Yu Liu, Yu-sung Su and Meng Zhu, “From fear to trust: Dissecting political trust in contemporary China.” (under review)
l Yu Liu, Kaiping Zhang, Meng Zhu and Wenquan Wu, “The power of the ‘big brothers,’: political leadership and regime moves in authoritarian states,” (under review)
l Yu Liu and Wenquan Wu, “Can critical citizens be too critical?” (writing stage)
l Yu Liu, “Cultural distance and the shocks of immigration,” (writing stage)
l Yu Liu and Meng Zhu, “Knowledge about new democracies and democratic aspirations in China,” (research stage)
Book Reviews (selected):
l “Evilness divided by a million times”, Tengxun Sixianghui, 2016.11.11 (Review of Robert Lifton’s The Nazi Doctors)
l “When the ship turned around”, Southern Weekend, 2015.11.26 (Review of Qin Hui’s Out of the Monarchy)
l “Democracy and its limits,” Shanghai Book Review, 2015.6.27 (Review of Michael Mann’s Dark Side of Democracy.)
l “Not all crows are black,” New York Times Book Review (the Chinese Online Edition), 2014.6.30 (Review of Bueno de Mesquita’s The Dictator’s Handbook)
l “The temptation of responsibility,” Beida Business Review, 2013 Vol.12. (Review of Thomas Sowell’s Intellectuals and Society)
l “The sculpture of bitterness”, New Century, 2013 Vol.38. (Review of Guo Yuhua’s Narratives of the Sufferers)
Grants, Awards and Fellowship
l 2023-2025, Grant from Funding for Social Science and Humanities by Tsinghua University, Project title: “How do different concepts of democracy form?”
l 2020-2025, Grant from Chinese National Social Science Foundation, “How concepts of democracy affect democratic consolidation?”
l 2022, The Art of the Possible: 30 Lectures on Comparative Politics selected as “Book of the Year” by Douban website and One-way Street (Danxiangjie) bookstore, also as one of “the most popular books on political science of the year” by the wechat account “Political Science Scholars” (zhengzhi xueren)
l 2017-2020, Named “Kaifeng Scholar” by the Kaifeng Research Institute at Tsinghua University.
l 2016-2018, Grant from Funding for Social Science and Humanities by Tsinghua University, “How do institutions affect culture?”
l 2013-2016, Grant from Funding for Humanities and Social Science by the Ministry of Education, “Economic and social performance after democratization in developing states.”
l 2013-2014, Funding for Returnees from Overseas (Ministry of Education), "Economic freedom after democratization."
l 2013.10, Fellow of “Future Leader Visiting Program”, invited by the Foreign Ministry of France.
l 2011.7-8, Fellow of the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program at the Center for Development, Democracy and Rule of Law of Stanford University.
l 2011, Chosen as the “Youth Leader of the Year” by the Southern People Weekly.
l 2011-2016, Funded by “Program for Supporting Talent in Basic Research” of Tsinghua University.
l 2009, Details of Democracy selected as Book of the Year by the Southern Weekend.
l 2006-2007, An Wang Post-doc Fellowship, Fairbank Center, Harvard University
