Yangguang (Edward) Yao is currently a doctoral candidate at the School of Government, Sun Yat-sen University. He obtained his Bachelor of Management from Midwestern State University in 2018 and completed his Master of Public Administration at the Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, in 2020. His research primarily centers on regulatory power, central-local relations, state-business relations, and institutionalism. His doctoral thesis investigates the distribution logic of regulatory powers among various government levels below the provincial tier in China. He continues this exploration of regulatory power distribution among vertical governments at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School. He has published articles in several journals, such as International Sociology.
In addition to his academic pursuits, he is deeply committed to nonprofit causes. He has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in Texas, notably becoming the first Chinese individual in the history of CASA of Red River. His contributions have also garnered media attention, including a feature interview and report by the Times Record News.
