Ze Han

Welcome! I’m a Data Scientist in the Outcomes Department at the World Bank.

I recently defended my doctoral dissertation in the Department of Politics at Princeton University, where I was affiliated with the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance. My advisors were Helen Milner (chair), James Vreeland, and Rory Truex.

I study how globalization shapes domestic politics across time and place. My dissertation develops a unified framework for understanding when globalization provokes backlash and when it is muted. I show that globalization can soften resistance when gains are broad and visible, but it can trigger backlash -- even among economic “winners” -- when benefits are concentrated, uneven, or tied to demographic stagnation.

Before Princeton, I earned a B.A. in International Politics from the University of International Relations and a double M.A. in Diplomacy and Public Policy from Peking University and the University of Tokyo, both with the highest honors.

Publications

1. Han, Ze, Rory Truex, and Naijia Liu. Measuring Political Attitudes with Word Association (Forthcoming, Public Opinion Quarterly).

Working Papers

1. Han, Ze, Helen Milner, and Kris Mitchener. The Deep Roots of American Populism (Revise and Resubmit, Journal of Economic History).
2. Han, Ze, and Helen Milner. The First Wave of Globalization and the Electoral Populism in the United States (under review).
3. Han, Ze. Fortune or Fear: State Legislators’ Responses to Chinese Ownership of U.S. Agricultural Land (Revise and Resubmit, International Studies Quarterly).