Political Economy · History · IR
Jonathon P Sine
Student. Scholar. Seeker.
"Gate to Hell" · Darvaza Gas Crater, Turkmenistan · 2016 · Photo Credit: MN (& ZA, DR)
Student. Scholar. Seeker.
I think, read, and write about how human societies evolve, function, and flourish. My focus areas span political economy, history, natural science, evolutionary theory, technology, and finance. My current research focuses on state capacity, industrial policy, and the deep history of state development.
One of my passions is fishing for experiences that change my mental models. I've spent time in 30+ countries, often in interesting fashion, such as driving from London to Mongolia in a run-down Nissan Micra or taking a motor rickshaw across the entirety of India. I spent most of 2024 living in China and Taiwan, where among other things I liberated a chicken in a rural village and circumnavigated the island of Formosa by bike, and speak Chinese passably (HSK6).
I believe in a unity of mind and body. For many years I have engaged in weight lifting, calisthenics, and running and recently begun practicing BJJ. At present you will find me in DC, appreciating American infrastructure on WMATA metro or enjoying modern technology atop a OneWheel.
A review of Dan Wang's Breakneck on engineers, lawyers, and two systems
Tracing the Soviet collapse through reform, bureaucracy, and unintended consequences
How local government financing vehicles became China's most complex economic challenge
A review of Dan Wang's Breakneck. Is China an "engineering state" against America the "lawyerly society"?
China's global manufacturing share to 2035. The pre-WWI analogy is faulty.
A thematic review of Stephen Kotkin's Stalin: Paradoxes of Power.
The Party's interests come first. Joseph Torigian's magisterial new biography.
The Soviet Collapse: Botched reform or entrenched bureaucracy?
How China's local government financing vehicles became its most complex economic challenge.
Lessons from CCP documentaries on the fall of the Soviet Union.
Common Prosperity is about Common Purpose.
Hundred-Year Marathon 2.0?
Industrial Policy and the Living Legacy of Internal Colonization.
On the conservative financialization thesis and its limits in China.
On social cohesion, loose sand, and the Party's dilemma.
Open-source datasets tracking elite composition in single-party states, with interactive visualizations and full data available for download.
Essays, book reviews, and academic work from the original collection.
“The refusal of one decent manSima Qian, trans. G.R. Barmé, via Simon Leys
outweighs the acquiescence of the multitude.”
If you have thoughts about my thoughts, or the ideas strike a chord, reach out.