Abstract Does state capacity influence economic performance in China? In this research exercise, I will attempt a casual examination of the role of state capacity in China’s miraculous economic performance. I will specifically examine the Chinese state’s ability to collect taxes. I argue that the Chinese state’s capacity to collect taxes efficiently is a miracle of modern statecraft. It illustrates to us that a strong state capacity in China bequeaths modern economic miracles. Improvements in tax capacity in China have been a part of a deeper process of state capacity building.1 Building tax capacity is linked to the process of economic development and growth in China. This research exercise explores the political conditions that have supported broader changes in state and tax capacity — and how these changes yield a culture of economic growth.

Abstract What should we make of China’s political meritocracy? The basic idea of political meritocracy in China is that high-level officials should be selected and promoted based on ability and virtue. Meritocracy in China is a tradition dating back millennia. Meritocracy was institutionalized in imperial China by means of an…

Abstract Why doesn’t liberal democracy flourish in China? Throughout its history, policy makers and intellectuals in China turned to authoritarian politics to address urgent matters. Authoritarian politics lingers on in the country to this day. In this reading summary/critique, I would like to explore why liberal democracy does not flourish…

Abstract What makes the politics of resentment flourish in sub-Sahara Africa? The politics of resentment in sub-Sahara Africa can be defined as resentment and anger towards a system of governance widely viewed as bias, exploitative and repressive. In a politics of resentment, anger manifests as a result of perceived state…

Abstract What qualities and characteristics make a public servant in a western democracy? I explore this question by focusing on political meritocracy in the context of western democracies. Political meritocracy is the view that members of the legislative or judicial branch as well as government bureaucrats must be chosen and…

Abstract What is the post-war development project? How does this project yield power asymmetries? In this paper, I will explore the development project as a hegemonic discourse and practice that is violent, oppressive, and degrading. …

A poem about guest workers. From Singapore to Bangladesh. I am not your slave. I am not your guest. I am not a ball to be thrown around. I am not a barcode to be scanned. I am more than a contract. I am more than a work permit. I…

Abstract What makes the politics of resentment flourish in Wisconsin and Louisiana? In this paper, my purposes are (1) to outline four phenomena that nourish the politics of resentment; (2) to propose my own approach to ethnographic research that I will utilize in the future. I will document an ethnographic…

Abstract Rural Americans and Canadians are feeling politically alienated and angry in ways that go beyond ideological preference, age, or income level.1 This anger and discontent yields a politics of resentment. This paper argues that ethnographic case studies can provide scholars with deep insights into the politics of resentment in rural…