Publications

Liu, Zanhui, Zhaotian Luo, and Yucheng Qiu (2026). Softening the Iron Cage: A Theory of Collusion and Adaptation in Bureaucracy. European Journal of Political Economy, Volume 95, 102898. (SSRN)
Li, Jinghong, Zanhui Liu, and Yang Yao (2025). Career Paths in Hierarchies: Theory and Evidence from Chinese Officials. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 234, 107027. (SSRN)
Liu, Zanhui (2024). Information and Polarization. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 226, 106686. (SSRN)

Job Market Paper

Optimal Fiscal Policy under Political Accountability. (Draft available upon request)

"Dynamics of Central-Local Relations in Centralized States", with Zhaotian Luo, Yucheng Qiu, Tianyang Xi, and Hongding Zhu.

R&R at American Journal of Political Science

"A Relational Theory of Power Alternation", with Zhaotian Luo, Yucheng Qiu, and Shuyi Yu.

2026 APSA Best Paper Award (Formal Theory Section)

"A Theory of International Official Lending", with Qing Liu, and Vivian Zhanwei Yue. (Under Review)
"Conditionality and Sovereign Debt", with Qing Liu and Vivian Zhanwei Yue. (Under Review)
"Political Incentives and Public Debt Accumulation: Evidence from a Cadre Evaluation Reform in China", with Xiaoying Xu. (Under Review)
"Fiscal Cycle and Optimal Fiscal Rule", with Qing Liu.

"Aristocratic and Bureaucratic Norms in Political Agency Relationship ", with Zhaotian Luo, Yucheng Qiu, and Shuyi Yu.
"Loong's Gift: From Chinese Aid to Commercial Finance ", with Xiaoying Xu.