Boliang Zhu is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science. He holds double B.A. degrees in Politics and Economics from Beijing University in China and an M.A. in East Asian Studies from Yale University. His dissertation examines the puzzle of skill bias in the sectoral composition of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing countries by focusing on the distributional implications of different types of FDI inflows and the logic of political survival. He uses survey experiment, large-N statistical analysis, and in-depth case studies to identify the links among the public’s demand for and politicians’ supply of FDI policies and the sectoral composition of FDI in developing countries. His other ongoing work investigates the effects of FDI inflows on national and sub-national corruption, firms’ preferences over inward FDI and perceptions about risky business environments in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and mass attitudes toward FDI, trade and immigration.

Teaching and Research Interests: International/comparative political economy, political economy of trade and investment, corruption, survey research, quantitative methods, and East Asia and Chinese politics.