Yongfeng Tang

Welcome! I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Arizona. In Fall 2026, I will join the Department of Political Science at Marquette University as an Adjunct Professor.

My research focuses on personalist rule and political institutions in authoritarian China. In my studies, I examine the process of personalization within the PRC and its downstream effects on policymaking and the dynamic relationship between the legislature and the dictator; why the legislature fails to constrain an aspiring autocrat; how the autocrat can utilize the legislature to help him personalize his power; and what types of laws are more likely to be passed when the regime becomes personalized. I also explore how the personalization of power affects international relations and threat perception by its neighboring countries.

My work has been published in Comparative Political Studies and Journal of Chinese Political Science.

For more information, please see my CV(PDF). You can reach me at ytang@mun.ca with questions about my research.