People

Xiaoyu Zhang

AFFILIATION
Government and Politics Network
College
St Peter's College
Course
MPhil Comparative Government
supervisor

I am a second-year MPhil student in Politics (Comparative Government) under the supervision of Professor Robin Harding. My MPhil thesis examines the existence of Political Business Cycles in both democracies and electoral autocracies using quantitative methods. Aside from my thesis, my research interests are centred around electoral politics, political economy and authoritarian politics.

Before coming to DPIR, I graduated with a BSc (with First Class Honours) in Economics and Politics from the University of Essex and received the Jean Blondel Prize for the Best Undergraduate Degree Result and the Oscar Arias Prize for the best Undergraduate Dissertation.

Outside of my studies, I previously worked in the Global Banking and Markets division at HSBC (China) in Shanghai. I am fluent in Mandarin Chinese, English and Wenzhounese.