After earning an M.A. in Political Science from Nankai University in Tianjin, China, and a second M.A. in Political Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada, Yongfeng Tang earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Arizona in 2026, specializing in comparative politics with a minor in methodology. Dr. Tang鈥檚 research focuses on personalist rule, political institutions, and policymaking in authoritarian China. In his studies, he examines the process of personalization within the PRC and its downstream effects on policymaking and the dynamic relationship between the legislature and the dictator; why the legislature fails to constrain an aspiring autocrat; how the autocrat can utilize the legislature to help him personalize his power; and what types of laws are more likely to be passed when the regime becomes personalized. He also explores how the personalization of power affects international relations and threat perception by neighboring countries.
Dr. Tang鈥檚 research interests include elite politics in China, Chinese politics, legislature, nationalism, and the legitimacy of the CCP.
Dr. Tang鈥檚 research has appeared in Comparative Political Studies and the Journal of Chinese Political Science, among others. Before beginning his doctoral study, he served as a research assistant at the ChangCe Thinktank in Beijing, and he has since taught courses in Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Criminal Justice Administration as the instructor of record.
Yongfeng Tang鈥檚 teaching interests include Comparative Politics and the study of authoritarian regimes, Chinese Politics, U.S. foreign policy, terrorism, International Relations, and research methods.
Ph.D., University of Arizona, 2026
