My research topic focuses on three areas: China, Environment, and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). I put up some of my research questions below. If you are interested in any of these areas, please feel free to contact me. I’d love to connect with you and learn from you.
Research focus areas
China: policies and institutions
China is the fastest growing country, the most rapidly changing country, and has the most far-reaching ripples in the world. How can China sustain its economic growth as well as its environment? How has the Chinese government respond to the worsening of the country’s environmental conditions? Does China governmental structure facilitate the country’s environmental agenda? What is the structure of Chinese environmental regulatory body? Considering China’s culture, governance, and economy, how can Chinese citizens contribute to China’s effort to protect the environment? Does environmental NGOs in China play a role in advancing enviromental protection with legitimate power and status?
Environment
Our environment has suffered tremendously in the last two centuries of human progress due to increase of human population, over exploitation of natural resources, and pollutions. These problems are becoming very pronounced in China. Which environmental qualities and conditions are performing the worst (air pollution, water pollution, energy consumption, emissions, land usage, disposal, etc.)? What are the environmental impact on human health? And how does China’s environmental problems affect the global environmental condition?
Information Communication Technologies
Information communication technologies (mainly refer to the World Wide Web and mobile phones) have played a big role in environmental information dissemination and education. They have also played a role in organizing and advancing environmental protection actions. How can China and Chinese citizens benefit from the power of ICTs, given the growing infrastructure and adoption of ICTs? How can ICTs empower Chinese citizens to contribute to environmental protection effort, such as keeping industries environmentally accountable or facilitating environmental protests?
Research theories
To understand complex situation in dealing with China’s environmental challenges, my research will draw from an interdisciplinary body of theoretic frameworks including information science theories (visualization, network effect, user-centered design, GIS), political science theories (targeted information transparency, weapons of the weak or voice under domination, social movement), and social science theories (STS, political ecology, economics).
Research methods
While this is still under construction, it will be a combination of developing an experimental web/mobile application based on a environmental database that disseminates environmental information, testing the theories by ethnographies, interviews, and surveys. The process will need more work at the moment.
