Alison Sile Chen-Zhao

• Chen-Zhao, Alison Sile, and Branislav L. Slantchev. 2024.“From Tiananmen to Panopticon: International Human Rights Campaigns and the Stabilization of Authoritarian Rule”↗.

• Book
  • Digital Panopticon: How Mass Surveillance Changes Autocracies.
• Paper
  • ”Testing the Rule of Law: Authoritarian Institutional Shock in Hong Kong” (with Patrick Chester, and Ryan Lueng).
  • ”Invalid Signaling in International Human Rights Treaties” (with Branislav L. Slantchev).
  • ”Great Power Rivalry: Building an Alternative Global Order” (with David Lake).
• Dataset
  • ”Repression in China 2013-2023” (with Margarent E. Roberts).

Coming soon...

• Ichimore Student Research Award. The 21st Century China Center, University of California, San Diego.

• Frieda Daum Urey Fellowship. University of California, San Diego.

• Chandler Fellowship. Political Science, University of California, San Diego.

• Graduate Student Fellowship. The 21st Century China Center, University of California, San Diego.

• Kellen Scholarship. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.
• Edward Weintal Scholarship. The Weintal Fund, and the Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.

• The People’s Scholarship for Academic Excellence, First Tier. Nanjing University.

• The People’s Scholarship for Societal Service, First Tier. Nanjing University.

• AAS. ”Counting Repression: Using LLM to Identify Repressive Events in the Xi Era.” Columbus.
• SPSA. ”From Tiananmen Crackdown to Surveillance Panopticon: International Human Rights Campaigns and the Stabilization of Authoritarian Rule.” San Juan.

• Comparative Formal Theory Conference. ”From Tiananmen Crackdown to Surveillance Panopticon: International Human Rights Campaigns and the Stabilization of Authoritarian Rule.” Political Science, The London School of Economics and Political Science.
• WPSA. ”Arrested with Surveillance: Preemptive Repression under International Pressure.” Vancouver.

• Joint Workshop of Applied/International/Development Economics. ”Arrested with Surveillance: Preemptive Repression under International Pressure.” University of California, San Diego, Economics Department.
• Formal Models of Conflict Conference. ”Arrested by Surveillance: Preemptive Repression under International Pressure.” Political Science, University of Pittsburgh.
• APSA. ”Arrested by Surveillance: Preemptive Repression under International Pressure.” Los Angeles.
• APSA - Formal Theory Junior Scholar Symposia. ”When Good Intention Goes Wrong: Autocratic Surveillance and Repression under International Pressure.” Virtual.
• MPSA. ”When Good Intention Goes Wrong: Autocratic Surveillance and Repression under International Pressure.” Chicago.

• AAS. ”Coordinating Violence in a Decentralized Movement: Evidence from the 2019 Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Protests.” Hawaii.

• APSA. ”Coordinating Violence in a Decentralized Movement: Evidence from the 2019 Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Protests.” Seattle/virtual.

• APSA. ”Game in the Gray Zone: Reciprocating Strategy in Maritime Disputes with China..” iPoster, Virtual.

• Young Transatlantic Network of Future Leaders. ”Examining Pro-Democracy Protests: Hong Kong and the Boundaries of Transatlantic Support.” The German Marshall Fund.
• ”Current Situation and Development of Chinese Youth Activists.” Dialogue China.
• Asia in Depth Series Lectures. ”Activism in China: Changes in Political Space since 1989.” History Department and Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University.

• Expert Talk. ”China’s Post-1989 Generation of Activists.” International Labor Rights Forum.
• Asia in Depth Series Lectures. ”Activism in China: Changes in Political Space since 1989.” History Department and Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University.

Ph.D. Candidate. Political Science. University of California, San Diego.

• Fields: Comparative Politics, International Relations, Methodology
• Committee Members: Margaret E. Roberts (Co-Chair), Branislav Slantchev (Co-Chair), Simeon Nichter, Songzi Du
• Computational Social Science Specialization

Master of Art. Political Science. University of California, San Diego.

Master of Science. Foreign Service. Georgetown University.

• Major in Global Politics and Security
• Asian Studies Certificate

Bachelor of Economy. Engineering and Management. Nanjing University(China).

• Introduction to Comparative Politics.
  • Prof. Scott Desposato. Winter 2025.

• European Integration. 
  • Prof. David Fisk. Fall 2024.
• Game Theory in Political Science. 
  • Prof. Sean Ingham, Summer 2024. 
  • Prof. David Wiens, Winter 2023.
• Economic Theories in Political Behavior. 
  • Prof. David Wiens. Summer 2024.
  • Prof. David Wiens. Summer 2023.
• Corruption in Developing Countries. 
  • Prof. Simeon Nichter. Fall 2023.
• Text as Data. 
  • Prof. Davi Cordeiro Moreira, Spring 23.
  • Prof. Margaret Roberts, Spring 2022.
• National Security Strategy.
  • Prof. Branislav Slantchev. Fall 2022.
• Comparative Politics: Race and Ethnicity. 
  • Prof. Karen Ferree. Winter 2022.

Spokesperson. Circle 19: For the Right to Information in China↗.

Associate Editor. Georgetown Journal of Asian Affairs. Asian Studies Pro-

gram, Georgetown University.

• Reporters Without Borders
• National Democratic Institute
• International Republican Institute
• Judicial Reform Foundation (Taiwan)
• Equity and Justice Initiative (China)
• The Kanpei Center for Youth Development and Service (China)

On Chinese politics, Chinese civil society, Chinese media

Note: Due to political risk considerations at various moments, some of my public writings were published under pen names, including Sile Zhao and Lydia Wong.

• Wong, Lydia, Thomas Kellogg, and Eric Lai. 2021.“Hong Kong’s National Security Law and the Right to Fair Trial: A GCAL Briefing Paper”↗. Georgetown Center for Asian Laws.
• Wong, Lydia, and Thomas Kellogg. 2021.“Hong Kong’s National Security Law: A Human Rights and Rule of Law Analysis”↗. Georgetown Center for Asian Laws.

• Alison Sile Chen. 2022.“Nevertheless, Chinese Civil Society Persisted”↗. China File.
• Zhao, Sile. 2021.“社畜和躺平之間：中國民間的倔強生命 [Between ’Social Livestock’ and ’Lying Flat’: The Obstinacy of Chinese Civil Society]”↗. The Reporter (Taiwan).
• Wong Lydia, Eric Yan-ho Lai, and Charlotte. 2020.“Tracking the Impact of Hong Kong’s National Security Law”↗. China File.
• Chen, Sile. 2019.“Interacting with the State: The Success and Vulnerability of the Feminist Movement in China”↗. Georgetown Journal of Asian Affairs.

• Zhao, Sile. 2022.“裴洛西訪台：明修三棧道，暗渡三陳倉 [Pelosi’s Taiwan Visit: A Public Show and a Hidden Agenda]”↗. Seh Seh (Taiwan).
• Wong, Lydia, Eric Lai, and Thomas Kellogg. 2021.“打造三位一體的巨獸：香港國安法制的演化與擴張 [Creating a Three-in-One Beast: The Evolution and Expansion of Hong Kong’s National Security Legal System]”↗.The Reporter (Taiwan). 
• Zhao, Sile. 2020.“拜登當選以後: 對華政策的慢啟動, 將為港台中抗爭者帶來挑戰 [Biden’s Likely Slow Launch of China Policies Would Pose Challenges to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China Activists]”↗. Up Media (Taiwan)
• Kellogg, Thomas, and Alison Sile Chen. 2020.“Is Hong Kong about to Get Its Own Foreign NGO Law in the Name of ’National Security’?”↗. China File.
• Zhao, Sile. 2020.“解讀香港國安法: 本地東廠政府 大案中央直轄 國際干預防火牆 [Interpretation of the Hong Kong National Security Law]”↗. The
• Foundation for Excellent Journalism Award Website (Taiwan).
•  Zhao, Sile. 2020.“武漢上空的黑洞—‘攫取型’體制的必然之惡 [The BlackHole above Wuhan—the Inevitable Evil of an Extractive System]"↗. Up Media (Taiwan).
• Zhao, Sile. 2020.“美國左翼候選人外交政策夠看嗎 [Are the Foreign Policies of the Left-wing Candidates Enough to Win the U.S. Election?].” Apple Daily (Taiwan).
• Kellogg, Thomas, and Sile Zhao. 2019.“China’s Dissidents Can’t Leave”↗. Foreign Policy.
• Chen, Sile. 2019.“A New Level of Aggressiveness: Recent Changes in Xi Jinping’s Formulation of Taiwan Policy”↗. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs.
• Zhao, Sile. 2019.“美國外交政策中的‘簡約主義’ [The Parsimony in U.S. Foreign Policies].” Apple Daily (Taiwan).
• Zhao, Sile. 2019.“非美國人眼中, 世界瓦解的樣子 [How the World Falls Apart in the Eyes of Non-Americans].” Apple Daily (Taiwan). 
• Zhao, Sile. 2019.“#MeToo in China: Female Journalists Confront Sexual Harassment”↗. Women’s Media Center
• Chen, Alison. 2019.“Post-Protests, The Dilemma Remains Unsolved in Hong
• Kong”↗. Wilson Center.
• Zhao, Sile. 2019.“如果六四在香港, 美國怎麼選? [If the Tiananmen Massacre Occurs in Hong Kong, What Would the US Do?].” Apple Daily (Taiwan).
• Zhao, Sile. 2019.“讓美國政治精英‘挑眉’的台灣問題 [The ’Eyebrow-raising’ Taiwan Issue among US Political Elites].” Apple Daily (Taiwan).
• Zhao, Sile. 2019.“卖淫嫖娼收容教育制度拟废除, 人权进步抑或社会管制转型? [Abolition of“Education Custody”against Prostitution]”↗. Amnesty International East Asian Office Website.

• Nathanael Cheng. 2021.“Zhao Sile and Her Battles”↗. New Bloom Magazine (Taiwan).
• Featured News. 2020.“MSFS Legacy for the Future: Alison Chen (MSFS’ 20)”↗. MSFS Blog.
• Smith, Charlie. 2019.“Author Alison Zhao Talks about Feminism in Her Native China, Hong Kong Protests, and How Taiwan Shaped Her Destiny”↗. The Georgia Straight (Canada). 
• Tang, Qiwei. 2019.“赵思乐（上）：中国年轻人大都处于‘社畜’状态 [Zhao Sile (1): Most Young Chinese in Struggles of Being ’Corporate Slave’]”↗. View points, Radio Free Asia.
• Tang, Qiwei. 2019.“赵思乐（下）：我不能去剥墙皮 [Zhao Sile (2): I Cannot Continue to Peel off Wall Plastering]”↗. View points, Radio Free Asia.

• Boston Globe Editorial Board. 2025.“China Is Already Silencing Dissent in Taiwan”↗. The Boston Globe.
• Xie, Yixuan. 2024.“官方壓制民間不支持中國第四權持續減弱 [Official Suppression Meets Public Resistance as China’s Fourth Estate Continues to Decline]”↗. Central National Agency (Taiwan).
• Bloomberg News. 2022.“’You Cannot Say It Out Loud’: How Xi Changed China Over a Decade”↗. Bloomberg.