Political economy · History · Technology
I think, read, and write about how human societies evolve, function, and flourish. My current research focuses on state capacity, industrial policy, and the deep history of state development.
PhD studentAmerican University SIS
Political and economic development, with a focus on the US and China.
Started Fall 2026
A review of Dan Wang's Breakneck on engineers, lawyers, and two systems
260 likes34 comments59 restacks
Tracing the Soviet collapse through reform, bureaucracy, and unintended consequences
175 likes12 comments38 restacks
How local government financing vehicles became China's most complex economic challenge
128 likes12 comments18 restacksPolitburo, Standing Committee and CC leadership across 14 Congresses
4,324 cc members14 congresses
A comprehensive database of every member elected to the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, Politburo, and Politburo Standing Committee, the three bodies that govern 1.4 billion people.
Central Committee composition across 22 Party Congresses
4,480 cc members74 years covered
Every member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from the Bolshevik Revolution through the collapse, tracking the full lifecycle of a superpower's ruling class.
China's global manufacturing share to 2035. The pre-WWI analogy is faulty.
69 likes5 comments8 restacks
A thematic review of Stephen Kotkin's Stalin: Paradoxes of Power.
30 likes4 comments3 restacks
The Party's interests come first. Joseph Torigian's magisterial new biography.
66 likes9 comments20 restacks
Lessons from CCP documentaries on the fall of the Soviet Union.
26 likes0 comments2 restacks
Common Prosperity is about Common Purpose.
10 likes0 comments0 restacks
Hundred-Year Marathon 2.0?
13 likes1 comment1 restack
Industrial Policy and the Living Legacy of Internal Colonization.
13 likes0 comments0 restacks
On the conservative financialization thesis and its limits in China.
11 likes4 comments0 restacks
On social cohesion, loose sand, and the Party's dilemma.
3 likes0 comments0 restacksMy focus areas span political economy, history, natural science, evolutionary theory, technology, and finance.
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.
If you have thoughts about my thoughts, or the ideas strike a chord, reach out.