Anthony Saich
Daewoo Professor of International Affairs and the Harvard Kennedy School; Director of the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia
China Public Policy Program
Understanding the toughest challenges confronting China — from energy policy to citizen satisfaction
Contact Info
- Laura Ma, Associate Director, Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia and China Programs
- laura_ma@hks.harvard.edu
Related Programs
Asia Energy and Sustainability Initiative, China and the World, China Philanthropy Project
The China Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School provides a school-wide platform to analyze key policy challenges both within China and in China’s increasing role in the world.
Meet the Team
Edward Cunningham
Director of Ash Center China Programs and of the Asia Energy and Sustainability Initiative; Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy
Rana Mitter
S.T. Lee Professor of U.S.-Asia Relations
Laura Ma
Associate Director, Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia and China Programs
Cherry (Xingqun) Wu
Faculty Assistant and Program Coordinator, Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia
Visiting Fellows and Junior Scholars
Our rich diversity of fellows includes a cohort of post-doctoral fellows and faculty from leading US and Chinese research universities, doctoral candidates from partner universities in China, and influential practitioners from industry, the non-profit sector, and other areas.
The China Public Policy Program is also home to junior scholars of exceptional promise in the field of contemporary Chinese public policy and is proud to play a key role in supporting Kennedy School students in the form of teaching, tuition assistance, fellowships, and grants for student-led events, initiatives, and applied learning opportunities.
Program Fellows
Kristine Li
China Public Policy Postdoctoral Fellow, AY 2022-2025
Paul G. Clifford
Non-resident Senior Fellow, AY2024-2025
Philip Jordan
Non-resident Senior Fellow, October 2024 - September 2025
Hao Chen
Research Fellow, AY2024-2025
Liyuan Lyu
Ph.D. Student Fellow, 2024
Previous Research Funds and Related Projects
Hui Fund for Generating Powerful Ideas
By funding a combination of degree students, academic research, results-driven conferences, and targeted senior practitioners, the Hui Fund built a powerful body of strategic thinkers working on issues of direct relevance to the U.S. and Chinese policy-making communities. The Fund prioritized collaborative research initiatives that expressly collaborate with institutions and individuals from China in an effort to deepen the intellectual foundation of exchange between Harvard and the region.
Public Opinion Project
From 2003 through 2016, Anthony Saich, director of the Rajawali Foundation Institute for Asia, conducted detailed surveys of Chinese satisfaction with different levels of government. This research revealed that citizen satisfaction with the government had increased since 2003, but also that stark differences in government approval ratings existed based on government level as well as respondents’ region and income level. You can read the final report on the work, “Understanding CCP Resilience: Surveying Chinese Public Opinion Through Time” online here. A fuller analysis can be found online here.
The latest news, resources, and research
Occasional Paper
Chinese Regional Planning Under Xi Jinping: The Politics and Policy Implications of the Greater Bay Area Initiative
Video
Jack Ma and the Collapse of the World’s Largest IPO
Q+A
Challenges for Biden: Sustainable Economic Recovery and China
As President-elect Biden prepares to take office, we sat down with Edward Cunningham, the director of the Ash Center’s China Programs and the Asia Energy and Sustainability Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School to discuss how the friction in the U.S.-China relationship might impact America’s economic recovery, and steps that the incoming administration can take to constructively engage with Beijing.
Q+A
Advice to the New Administration on China
From selective competition and collaboration to climate change, experts Anthony Saich and Edward Cunningham share guidance on shaping new US-China policy
Feature
Finding Allies and Making Revolution
In a new book, Ash Center Director Tony Saich stitches together an untold story from the early years of the Chinese Communist Party
Policy Brief
Disciplining of a Society: Social Disciplining and Civilizing Processes in Contemporary China
Policy Brief
A Turbulent Decade: The Changes in Chinese Popular Attitudes toward Democracy
Policy Brief
Our Path to “New Normal” in Employment? Sobering Clues from China and Recovery Scores for U.S. Industry
Policy Brief
Understanding CCP Resilience: Surveying Chinese Public Opinion Through Time
Q+A
China’s economic recovery foretells unlikely growth in U.S. jobs
The Ash Center sat down with Edward Cunningham and Philip Jordan, authors of Our Path to “New Normal” in Employment? Sobering Clues from China and Recovery Scores for U.S. Industry, a new report examining China’s post COVID-19 economic recovery in an effort to better understand what might lay ahead for America’s own attempts to rebuild from the economic destruction wrought by the pandemic.
Q+A
An Uncertain Future for Hong Kong
With the National Party Congress, China’s annual legislative session, concluded, the Ash Center sat down with Director Anthony Saich, Daewoo Professor of International Affairs, to discuss a new security law that could define the future of Beijing’s relationship with Hong Kong.
Video
China’s Most Generous: Examining Trends in Contemporary Chinese Philanthropy
Policy Brief
China’s Role in Promoting Transboundary Resource Management in the Greater Mekong Basin (GMB)
Q+A
Tony Saich on China’s Leadership during the COVID-19 Outbreak
The Ash Center sat down with Tony Saich, Daewoo Professor of International Affairs and Center Director, for a conversation about the impact of China’s COVID-19 response on the country’s leadership
Book
