Kuan-Wu Chen (陳冠吾) | Political Scientist, Academia Sinica

Research

My work asks how populist leaders turn punishment, patronage, and territorial identity into electoral resources, and what that conversion does to democratic institutions. Most of the evidence comes from the Philippines, Japan, and Taiwan, combining text-as-data methods with fieldwork and interviews.

Current lines of work

Penal populism and democratic erosion

How criminalizing rhetoric is built, targeted, and mobilized — including Duterte's Narco List and the accuracy of the naming it relied on.

Clientelism and local politics in Southeast Asia

Public works budgets, peace settlements, and clan conflict as arenas where national leaders bargain with local power holders.

Regional parties and territorial identity in Japan

Why regionally rooted parties such as Ishin and newcomers such as Sanseito expand or stall outside their home base.

Legislative behavior in Taiwan

Proposal networks as a measure of influence when formal power is limited, studied at the city council level.

Publications

Journal articles

Heinrich, Tobias, Spencer Baily, Kuan-Wu Chen, Jack DeOliveira, Sanghoon Park, and Navida Chun-han Wang. 2025. "AI-Assisted Grading and Personalized Feedback in Large Political Science Classes: Results from Randomized Controlled Trials." PLOS One 20(8): e0328041.
Lu, Kelan, and Kuan-Wu Chen. 2020. "Caught in the Middle: An Empirical Assessment of the Impact of the Trade War and Beijing's Taishang Incentive Policies on the Taishang's Movement in and out of Mainland China." Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs.
Wu, Yu-Shan, and Kuan-Wu Chen. 2020. "Domestic Politics and Cross-Strait Relations: A Synthetic Perspective." Journal of Asian and African Studies 55(2): 168–186.
Chen, Kuan-Wu, and Yu-Shan Wu. 2017. "Power Position and Taiwan Policy: How Beijing Responds to Taipei's Stimuli during the Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao Periods." Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies.
Tang, Ching-Ping, and Kuan-Wu Chen. 2013. "Democratization, Faction Politics, and Civil Society: The Case of Community-Building and the 'Termination of Faction' in Chiayi County." Taiwan Democracy Quarterly 10(2): 105–138. (in Chinese)

Book chapter

Chen, Kuan-Wu. "The Populism Matrix." In an edited volume, Palgrave Macmillan. Forthcoming 2026

Translation

Bernardo Zacka, When the State Meets the Street: Public Service and Moral Agency. Translated by Chih-An Lin, Hsuan Tang, and Kuan-Wu Chen. Taipei: Faces Publications, 2024. (in Chinese)

Book reviews

Chen, Kuan-Wu. 2021. Review of State Capture by Alexander Hertel-Fernandez. Taiwan Democracy Quarterly 18(1): 151–158.
Chen, Kuan-Wu. 2021. Review of Authoritarianism and the Elite Origins of Democracy. Taiwan Democracy Quarterly 18(3): 157–163.

Curriculum Vitae

Positions

2025–: Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica
2024: Instructor
Department of Political Science, University of South Carolina

Education

2024: Ph.D., Political Science — University of South Carolina
Dissertation: Popular Justice or Populist Justice? Penal Populism and Its Impact on Democracy. Committee: Matthew Wilson (chair), Douglas Thompson, Jessica Schoenherr, Rollin Tusalem, Nico Ravanilla.
2015: M.A., Political Science — National Taiwan University
Advisor: Yu-Shan Wu
2011: B.A., Political Science — National Chengchi University

Selected grants and fellowships

2025: Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association Research Fellowship
2024: Fellow, Southeast Asia Research Group (SEAREG)
2024: Li-Ching Graduate Fellowship
2023–24: Taiwan Overseas Pioneer Scholarship, National Science and Technology Council
2022–23: Sun Yat-Sen Fellowship, National Policy Foundation

Download full CV (PDF)

Kuan-Wu Chen陳冠吾