I am Professor and Department Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Rhode Island (URI), where I previously served for four years as Graduate Director.  I am currently the Editor of China Policy Journal, and the U.S. Regional Editor of Policy & Internet, both of which are PSO (Policy Studies Organization) journals. I have served as President, Division Chair, and Governing Council member of the Public Policy Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA), as well as an Executive Council member for APSA’s Political Communication Section.

My research interests include political economy, public policy, political communication, public opinion, political behavior, and Chinese politics. I am particularly interested in the following interrelated research programs: (1) how technology and new media shape public opinion, public policy and governance, (2) the effects of political elites and media on public opinion toward international issues, and (3) globalization’s impact on domestic political and policy outcomes.

I am currently working on a Cambridge Elements book project titled “From Free Trade to America First: How Trump’s Rhetoric and Policies Reshaped American Views on Trade.” My other work has appeared in journals such as American Journal of Political Science, Policy Studies Journal, The China Quarterly, Computers in Human Behavior, New Media & Society, Telematics and Informatics, American Politics Research, State Politics and Policy Quarterly, Politics & Policy, Social Science Quarterly, and in edited books like Oxford Handbook of State and Local Politics. 

I am currently teaching Introduction to Political Science Research, International Political Economy, International Migration, Chinese Politics, and Controversies in Political Science. I also taught courses such as Introduction to Comparative Politics, International Women’s Issues, and Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies in the past. 

Contact information:
Phone: (401) 874-4053
Email: pingxu@uri.edu