Dr Lili Liu

Lili holds a PhD degree in Politics from the Department of Politics and International Studies from SOAS, University of London. The majority of her research focuses on explaining the exercise of power in agenda setting and policy process under complex state and society interactions, with further interests in Chinese politics, environmental politics and social legal studies. Her current research examines conditions and the process by which policy changes in authoritarian China under the logic of “expanding the sphere of conflict”. Through case studies in Yunnan, Shenzhen and Xiamen, she takes an in-depth look at why some environmental conflicts expand to attract a lot of attention and participation, while others generate little interest or action. This research draws on the “forensics of policy change”—the intermediate stages of policymaking as the amount of attention, mobilization and conflict surrounding a policy problem affect whether it gets on agendas and how it is resolved. Three main points are identified to explain the “fertile ground” of policy change in China: actors, institutions and issues. She is currently working on her first book manuscript to show how social actors exploit these institutions and overcome constraints in a critical part of policy process in China.

Chinese Politics; State and Society; Environmental Politics and Policy; Policy Process; Political Institutions; Social Legal Studies; Contentious Politics; Authoritarian Politics