My research explores authoritarianism and its legacies in post-authoritarian democracies. I emphasize authoritarian nostalgia as both an explanation for and an outcome of political development and study how the nostalgic sentiment leads to heightened partisan behavior and support for authoritarian alternatives. I further examine the nostalgia generation process with an image-as-data approach by analyzing the contents and contexts of the nostalgic rhetoric. In addition, I have developed a separate research project understanding political development in 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.
Authoritarian Legacies
Peer-reviewed Publications
- “Violence and Bias: The Political Legacy of Anti-Chinese Violence in Indonesia.” with Yujeong Yang. 2026. Comparative Politics. 58(3): 313-338.
- “Authoritarian Nostalgia, Group Sentiment, and Voter Behavior.” 2025. Political Behavior. 47(3): 1231-1252. [Replication files]
- “Mnemonic Politics among Philippine Voters: A Social Media Measurement Approach.” with Emily Sallenback. 2024. Democratization. 31(8): 1622-1644.
- “Authoritarian Legacies and Partisan Bias in Corruption Voting: Evidence from South Korea.” 2023. Journal of East Asian Studies. 23(2): 241-262.
- “Personality Traits, Democratic Support, and Authoritarian Nostalgia.” 2023. Social Science Quarterly. 104(5): 619-635.
- “Alternative Legacies of Authoritarianism: Pro-dictator Bias in Ideology.” 2023. Party Politics. 29(3): 580-586.
Book Chapters
- “Authoritarian Nostalgia.” In Encyclopedia of Authoritarianism edited by Thomas Ambrosio and Stephen Hall. Edward Elgar Publishing.
- “Legacies of Authoritarianism.” In Handbook of Political Socialization, edited by Jill S. Greenlee and Zoe M. Oxley. De Gruyter.
Ongoing Projects
- Projects on images, deepfakes, and nostalgia generation (with Hyein Ko, Case Western Reserve University)
- Projects on nostalgic voter behavior
- “Authoritarian Nostalgia and Partisan Attachment.” with Sunkyoung Park.
- “Too Young to be Nostalgic?: Young Voters and the Rise in Authoritarian Nostalgia.”
- “Right in the Past, Left in the Present?: Ideological Orientation and Political Nostalgia.”
- Projects on memory politics in post-authoritarian democracies
- “Last Ones Standing: Local Politics and Authoritarian Symbol Removal in Taiwan.” with Risa Kitagawa and Yu-hsien Sung.
- “Victimization as a Source of Political Contestation: Evidence from State Repression in South Korea.” with Myunghee Lee and Hyunjin An.
Political Economy of Asia
Peer-reviewed Publications
- “Money Backfires: How Chinese Investment Fuels Anti-China Protests Abroad.” with Yujeong Yang, Do Young Gong, and Shuyuan Shen. 2024. World Development. 178: 106566. [Replication files]
- “Killing Protests with Kindness: Anti-China Protests and China’s Public Diplomacy.” with Yujeong Yang, Do Young Gong, and Shuyuan Shen. 2023. International Studies Quarterly. 67(4): sqad087. [Replication files]
Publications in Other Topics of Voter Behavior
Peer-reviewed Publications
- “Engaged but Targeted? How Immigrants Vote Against Anti-Immigrant Agendas in Europe.” with Younghyun Lee. 2026. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 52(13): 3323-3347.
- “How Loud Does the Watchdog Bark? A Reconsideration of Local Journalism, News Non-profits, and Political Corruption.” with Nikki Usher. 2024. International Journal of Press/Politics. 29(4): 960-982. [Replication files]