Dr. Kaiping Zhang
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
RESEARCH FIELDS
Chinese politics and governance, political communication, deliberative democracy, computational social science
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2021-
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Tsinghua University
Deputy Director, Center for Data Governance
Faculty Associate, Lab of Computational Social Science and State Governance
Faculty Associate, Center for County Governance
2018 – 2021
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Tsinghua University
Senior Researcher, Center for Data Governance
2017 - 2018
Research Associate, Center for Deliberative Democracy, Stanford University. 2017 - 2018
EDUCATION
Stanford University
2017
Ph.D. in Communication
Dissertation: Public Deliberation and Participation through a Comparative Lens: Attitudes,
Behaviors, and Institutions
Advisor: James Fishkin
Dissertation Chair: Xueguang Zhou
Dissertation Committee: Baogang He, Jon Krosnick, Jennifer Pan, Robert Luskin
Michigan State University
2011
M.A. in Communication
Tsinghua University Magna Cum Laude
2009
B.A. in Journalism and Communication
PUBLICATIONS
1. Zhang, K., Zhao, J., and Meng, T. (forthcoming). “Governing China in Digit: A Framework for Assessing the Digital Governance in 101 Chinese Municipalities.” The China Review.
2. Zhang, K. (2023). “Political Communication Research in the Digital Age: Research Agenda, New Methods, and Paradigm Shift”. CASS Journal of Political Science (ranked as the #1 political science journal in China), 2023(05):193-206. (in Chinese)《数字时代的政治传播研究：理论重构、议题革新与范式转向》,《政治学研究》,2023年第5期。
3. Zhang, K., Meng, T., & Huang Z. (2023) “The Rise of Soft Propaganda in China: Evidence from Big Data in 2009-2023.” Journalism and Communication (ranked as the #1 journalism and communication journal in China), 30(12):86-103+128. (in Chinese)《软宣传的兴起、特征与效果：基于2009-2023年主流媒体与政务新媒体的大数据分析》,《新闻与传播研究》，2023年第12期。
4. Zhang, K., He, B., & Wu, J. (2021). “Double Trouble? Effects Of Social Conflict and Foreign Investment on Consultative Authoritarianism in China.” Contemporary Politics, 27(4), 371-396.
5. Zhang, K. & Meng, T. (2021). “Donation Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Social Capital, Political Trust and Media Selection.” (in Chinese) Chinese Journal of Social Development (CSSCI), 8(02):152-179.《公共卫生危机中的捐助行为：社会资本、政治信任与媒介选择》，《社会发展研究》，2021年第5期。
6. Zhang, K., & Tang, F. (2020). “Experimental Methods for the Study of American Politics.” (in Chinese) Chinese Journal of American Studies (CSSCI), 34(03):142-160+.《实验方法及其在美国政治研究的应用》，《美国研究》，2020年第3期。
7. Zhang, K. (2019). “Encountering Dissimilar Views in Deliberation: Political Knowledge, Attitude Strength, And Opinion Change.” Political Psychology, 40(2): 315-333.
8. Zhang, K., & Meng, T. (2018). “Political Elites in Deliberative Democracy: Beliefs and Behaviors Of Chinese Officials.” Japanese Journal of Political Science, 19(4): 643-662.
9. Han, F., & Zhang, K. (2015). “Deliberative democracy in Chinese governance: Institutions, practices, and theoretical critiques.” Zhejiang Social Sciences (CSSCI), 10, 48-61. (in Chinese) “社会治理的‘协商’领域与‘民主’机制——当下中国基层协商民主的制度特征、实践结构和理论批判”,《浙江社会科学》，2015年第10期。
10. Zhang, K., and Kizilcec R. F. (2014). “Anonymity in social media: Effects of content controversiality and social endorsement on sharing behavior.” Proceedings of the Eighth International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media.
GRANTS
2023 Research Grant for Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University
2020 The Spring Breeze Fund for the COVID-19 Research, Tsinghua University
2019 National Social Science Fund, National Social Science Foundation of China (NSSFC)
2015-2017 Larry Yung Dissertation Fellowship, Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI), Stanford University
2016 Dale G. Leathers Memorial Research Fund for Promotion of Communication in Emerging Democracies, National Communication Association
2016 Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI) Global Policy Fellows Research Grant, Stanford University
2015 Center for East Asia Studies Summer Research Grant, Stanford University
2011 Humanities & Social Sciences Graduate Student Fellowship, Stanford University
HONORS
2024-2025 Harvard-Yenching Institute Visiting Scholar
2023 Top Paper Award, The Division of Political Communication, 73rd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association
2023 Teaching Excellence Award for Junior Faculty Nomination, Tsinghua University
2022 Best Paper Award, The 40th Annual Meeting of the Chinese Communication Association
2021 Excellence in Online Teaching Award, Tsinghua University
2019 Tang Zhongying Outstanding Junior Scholar, Tsinghua University
2016 Excellent Young Scholar (Overseas) Award, the Ministry of Education, China
2016 Stanford Center at Peking University Pre-Doctoral Fellow, Stanford University
2009 Distinguished Graduate Award (top 10%), Tsinghua University
SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Annual Conference of the American Political Science Association (APSA)2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA)2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Annual Conference of the Chinese Political Science Association, Shenzhen2023
Annual Conference for the Chinese Local Governance, Wuhan, Huazhong Normal University2023
Annual Conference for the Chinese Political Communication Research, Chinese Communication University 2021, 2023
Conference on Civility and Culture in the Modern World, Beijing2023
Annual Conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) (online)2022
Annual Conference of the Beijing Junior Scholar Forum, Beijing2019, 2021, 2023
Annual Conference on Big Data in Governance, Beijing2021, 2022, 2023
Conference on Urban Governance and Political Development (online)2022
Annual Conference of the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP)2015, 2019, 2020, 2021
Annual Conference of Frontiers in Political Science Research, Tsinghua University2018,2019,2020,2021
Deliberative Democracy Conference: Authoritarian Deliberation Revisit, Melbourne2017
Annual Convention of the National Communication Association (NCA)2014, 2015
SELECTED INVITED TALKS
2024 National University of Singapore, Department of Communication and New Media
2024 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information Asian Communication Research Center Workshop
2023 Peking University, National School of Development Political Economy Workshop
2023 Tsinghua University, Computational Social Science Workshop
2023 Tsinghua University, Junior Faculty Research Workshop
2023 Shenzhen University, School of Government
2023 Shenzhen University, School of Communication
2023 Beijing Foreign Language University, School of International Relations, Junior Scholar Seminar
2023 University of International Business and Economics, Department of Political Science
2023 Tsinghua University, School of Journalism and Communication
2022 Beijing Normal University, School of New Media
2022 China Agricultural University, School of Public Administration (online)
2022 UCSD China Workshop (online)
2021 Tsinghua University, School of Journalism and Communication
2021 Renmin University of China, School of International Relations
2021 Beijing Normal University, China Media Credibility Forum
2021 Political Science Speaker Series (online)
2019 Tsinghua University, School of Public Administration
2018 Shandong University, School of Government
2018 Tsinghua University, School of Journalism and Communication
TEACHING
2019 - Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Tsinghua University
Political Communication (undergraduate level)
Movie and Politics (undergraduate level)
Experimental Methods in Political Science (graduate level)
Teaching Assistant, Department of Communication, Stanford University
2015 Media Processes and Effects (COMM 108/208)
2015 Mass Media, Society, and Democracy (COMM 1A/211)
2014 Computers and Interfaces (COMM 169/269)
2013 Digital Media in Society (COMM 120W/220)
2013 The Dialogue of Democracy (COMM 137W/237)
2012, 2013 Media Technologies, People, and Society (COMM 1A/211)
STUDENT ADVISORY
Ph.D. Students
Advisor:
Yumi Lijima (completed, research fellow, Japan Institute of International Affairs), Bingyan
Wang (2020- ), Tong Wang (2021- ), Zijing Zhao (2022- ), Jing Zheng (2023- ).
Dissertation Committee Member: Zhongbin Huang (completed, assistant research fellow, Chinese Social Science Academy), Feng Tang (completed, lecturer, University of International Business and Economics), Yi Li (completed, assistant research fellow, Chinese Social Science Academy), Hui Yang (completed, Best Dissertation Award, Beijing, 2023), Jiangrui Liu (completed, lecturer, Chongqing University), Minxuan Huang (Renmin University, completed, postdoc fellow, 2023), Yuxi Zhang(Renmin University, completed, postdoc fellow, 2023), Siyao Zheng (expected, 2024), Chao Xu (expected, 2024)
M.A. Students
Siyu Zhang (completed, Hulun Buir Government, Inner Mongolia), Billy Chia (completed, Singapore Navy)
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Administrative Services
Deputy Department Chair, Political Science, Tsinghua University 2023-
Reviewer
Political Psychology, New Media & Society, Mass Communication & Society, Asian Journal of Communication, Journalism, Urban Studies, Chinese Journal of Political Science, Journal of Chinese Governance
Conference Organization
Co-chair, Division of Political Communication and Public Opinion, the 44th Annual Meeting of the
International Society of Political Psychology 2021
Conference on “Frontiers in Political Research”, Beijing, China 2021
Beijing Political Science Forum for Early-Career Scholars 2018
Student Affairs
Undergraduate Mentor, Xinya College, Tsinghua University 2023-
Faculty supervisor of student affairs, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University 2019-2021
Freshmen Mentor, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University 2022-2023
Undergraduate Scholarship Review Board 2020-
Committee Member, Institutional Review Board, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University 2023-
https://kaipingz.github.io
