"Understanding China’s Politics, Policies, and Society" - by CWP alum Tyler Jost & Wendy Leutert
Understanding Chinese politics, policies, and society is in many ways harder today than it has been at any point in the past four decades. Interlocutors who were once willing to share opinions that diverged from the official government line have become markedly less willing to do so, and the visas that might permit U.S. researchers to engage with their Chinese counterparts have become harder to come by. Additionally, foreign experts can no longer access many Chinese-language scholarly and policy journals outside China.
In light of these challenges, RAND organized a large-scale conference for leading academics, think tank subject-matter experts, and policy practitioners to discuss the way ahead for researchers looking to inform the outside world’s understanding of China. The conference was organized around four questions central to most research on contemporary China: (1) What are the key factors shaping Chinese leadership decisionmaking and politics today? (2) What are the strategic implications of China’s domestic challenges? (3) What are the key dimensions of economic and technological competition between the United States and China? (4) What are the best research methodologies available to scholars of contemporary China?
Scott W. Harold, Tyler Jost, Wendy Leutert, Agnes Xiangzhen Wang
Research Published Oct 2, 2025
Tyler Jost is Assistant Professor of Political Science, International & Public Affairs and Watson Institute Assistant Professor of China Studies. His research focuses on national security decision-making, bureaucratic politics, and Chinese foreign policy. Dr. Jost’s current book project examines domestic institutions designed to decide and coordinate national security policy, such as the U.S. National Security Council. Dr. Jost completed his doctoral degree in the Department of Government at Harvard University. He has held postdoctoral fellowships in the International Security Program at the Kennedy School of Government, as well as in the China and the World Program at Columbia University. His research has been supported by the Smith Richardson Foundation, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies.
Leutert is the GLP-Ming Z. Mei Chair of Chinese Economics and Trade. Her research focuses on Chinese political economy, specifically the historical evolution and global expansion of China's state-owned enterprises. Other areas of her research include leadership in China's public sector, China’s early reform and opening, corporate governance in state-owned enterprises, and international investment and trade. Her commentary has been featured in media outlets including the Financial Times, New York Times, Reuters, Washington Post, and South China Morning Post. For further details about her research, see: www.wendyleutert.com.
Photo Credit: https://pixabay.com/users/chickenonline-616783/ & https://pixabay.com/users/febrianes86-5873902/
