Xiaoxiao Shen

Welcome! I’m Xiaoxiao Shen, an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Political Science at Northeastern University. Prior to this, I was a Postdoctoral Associate in East Asian Studies at the Yale MacMillan Center and a Lecturer in Political Science at Yale University. I received my Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University.

My research focuses on the domestic and international politics of authoritarian regimes, with a particular emphasis on China. I study how China’s authoritarian system shapes domestic public opinion in the digital era and within an evolving global order. I also investigate the Chinese government’s strategies for influencing global public opinion and its role in international political discourse, employing a mixed-methods approach.

I hold a B.Sc. in Mathematics with Statistics from Imperial College London and an M.Phil. in Social Science from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. My work has been published or is forthcoming in leading academic outlets including the British Journal of Political Science, Governance (twice), World Development, Journal of Experimental Political Science, Encyclopedia of Political Communication, Survey Research Methods, Political Science Research and Methods and Research & Politics.

In addition to my academic research, I develop software tools to support social science research. My software tool ReChat has been granted permanent U.S. Patent US11843470B2.

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Curriculum Vitae

RESEARCH

PUBLISHED PAPERS

8. Chen, Xing, Xiaoxiao Shen. Silent Suffering: Depression and Political Trust Under Authoritarianism. Accepted at Research and Politics, Read here

7. Shen, Xiaoxiao. The Effects of Forced Versus Selective Propaganda Exposure in China. Conditionally accepted at Political Science Research and Methods, Read here

6. Baik, Jongyoon, Xiaoxiao Shen. Retrieving True Preference under Authoritarianism. Conditionally accepted at Survey Research Methods. Read here

5. Shen, Xiaoxiao, William Small Schulz. Introducing ReChat: A Lab-in-the-Cloud for Text Discussions. Journal of Experimental Political Science (2024). Read here

4. Chen, Xing, Xiaoxiao Shen, and Andong Zhuge. ”Pollution Matters: The Political Impact of Information Disclosure”. Governance (2023). Read here
– China Public Administration Academic Annual Conference 2023 Third Prize for Excellent Papers
– CPSG (APPAM) Runner-up for 2024 Best Policy Research Article Award

3. Yang, Wenhui, and Xiaoxiao Shen. ”Can Social Welfare Buy Mass Loyalty? Evidence from China”. Governance (2020). Read here
– CPSG (APPAM) 2021 Best Policy Journal Article Award
– CAAPA 2022 Wang Wen Best Young Scholar Award (Link)
– Featured in “Authoritarian regimes’ social programs do little to win public support'” at The Academic Times

2. Shen, Xiaoxiao, and Rory Truex. ”In Search of Self-Censorship”. British Journal of Political Science (2020). Read here

1. Shen, Xiaoxiao, and Kellee S. Tsai. ” Institutional Adaptability in China: Local Developmental Models under Changing Economic Conditions ” . World Development 87 (2016). Read here

INVITED CONTRIBUTION

“ Preference Falsification ”, with Eddy S. F. Yeung. Forthcoming in the Encyclopedia of Political Communication, edited by Alessandro Nai, Max Gromping, and Dominique Wirz. Edward Elgar Publishing.

BOOK PROJECT

” When Propaganda Resonates ”. Book Conference Hosted at Yale University, Sep 26th 2024.

WORKING PAPERS

10. “ When Propaganda Resonates ”. Dissertation Book Project in Progress/Job Market Paper, Under Review. Read here

9. “ The Characteristics of Chinese Psychological Needs and Their Correlations to Political Attitudes ”. Read here

8. “ Old Boys‘ Power Illusion: Hometown Elites‘ Promotion and Political Trust ”, with Xing Chen. Under Review. Read here

7. “ Pay It Forward: Upstream Reciprocity and Support for Foreign Aid Among Chinese Nationals ”, with Zhihang Ruan.

6. “ Turning Crisis into Opportunity: How Propaganda Appeals to Mass Emotion in Crisis Communication ”, with Rex Weiye Deng. Read here

5. “ When Does Self-Interest Trump Ideology in Authoritarian Regimes? ”, with Dongshu Liu. Read here

4. “ Measuring Populism: Evidence from China ”, with Jiehan Liu. Read here

3. “ Political Knowledge as a Moderator of Partisan Motivated Reasoning: A Meta-Analysis ”, with Jiehan Liu.

2. “ Chinese Propaganda System and Strategies ”, with Jiehan Liu.

1. “ Evaluating the Effectiveness of Singapore Government’s Anti-Misinformation Strategies ”, with Qingyan Wang.

SOFTWARE PATENT

ReChat : An integrated and interactive chat tool that allows social scientist to administer, monitor, and analyze live conversations. URL: https://reso.chat/. Permanent U.S. Patent Application Granted, No. US11843470B2 (December 2023). Link