I am a Senior Lecturer (full-time faculty) with the Center for Advanced Governmental Studies at Johns Hopkins University. I received my PhD in Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2022. My research interests focus on authoritarian nostalgia and related political behavior in post-authoritarian democracies. My regional focus is on South Korea and other Asian democracies. My research has appeared in Party Politics and the Journal of East Asian Studies and is forthcoming at International Studies Quarterly and Social Science Quarterly.
My current book project, The Past that Binds, provides theoretical and empirical foundations for nostalgic behavior and democratic development. I argue that authoritarian nostalgia is an important source of group sentiment in post-authoritarian democracies, which produces large and surprising effects on voter attitudes and behaviors. My book will build much needed theoretical and empirical foundations for nostalgic behavior and democratic development and bolster its comparative implications by drawing on South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, and the Philippines as case studies.
My research has received support from various sources, including a Faculty Grant Award from the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, a Taiwan Fellowship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, a Doctoral Fellowship from the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, and multiple institutions at the University of Illinois.
PhD in Political Science, 2022
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
MA in Political Science, 2016
Korea University
BA in Political Science; Economics, 2011
Korea University
Book Project
Authoritarian legacies
My research explores authoritarian nostalgia and how it shapes voter behavior in post-authoritarian democracies. The primary focus of my research is understanding the role of authoritarian nostalgia as a source of social identity and its effects on heightened partisanship. I also develop new instruments for measuring the individual nostalgic sentiment.
(2023).Political Economy in Asia
I have developed a separate research project understanding the political economy in East Asia. This work has focused on the expansion of China’s presence in the neighboring countries and how this can shape voters’ attitudes toward China.
(2022).Political Communication
From my work on corruption, I have developed an interest in studying factors that can promote political accountability. In collaborative projects with Nikki Usher, I examine the impacts of declining local journalism on political accountability.
(2023).I received an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2023 at Johns Hopkins University and the A. Belden Fields Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching as a Teaching Assisant in 2019 at the University of Illinois. Teaching evaluations are available upon request.