Linchuan Zhang (张林川) – Home

Welcome! I am a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at Emory University. My research interests lie in comparative politics, authoritarian politics, conflict, and Chinese politics.

My book-length dissertation examines how political leaders exert control over the military and why military elites make divergent choices between loyalty and disloyalty during civil war and regime crises. Empirically, I analyze the Kuomintang (KMT) military from 1926 to 1950 in Republican-era China, using an original dataset of more than 1,000 high-ranking officers. My job market paper, “Command and Loyalty,” is based on one dissertation chapter.

Beyond the dissertation, my research extends in two directions. One examines the consequences of conflict and regime change. Projects include the incorporation of former KMT military elites after the Chinese Civil War and the migration decisions of South Vietnamese military officers at the end of the Vietnam War. The other extends my focus from military officers in historical China to state agents and civilian actors in contemporary China.

Across my research, I emphasize original data collection, including in-person archival work at eight archives in Asia and the United States.

Before beginning my Ph.D. studies at Emory, I received my M.A. in Political Science from Duke University in 2021 and my LL.B. in Political Science and Public Administration from Fudan University in 2019.