Browse FSI scholarship on geopolitics, global health, energy, cybersecurity and more.
Featured Publications
Security Through Cooperation: Space, Nuclear Weapons, and U.S.-Russia Relations after the Cold War
Rose Gottemoeller uses lessons learned from U.S.-Russia relations during the George H. W. Bush and Clinton administrations to offer insights into how Russia today may be convinced to end its war against Ukraine and resume cooperation for the sake of global security.
Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder
A clear-eyed look from Michael McFaul at how the rise of autocratic China and Russia are compelling some to think that we have entered a new Cold War—and why we must reject that thinking in order to prevail.
The National College Entrance Examination shapes the future of millions of students in China each year, but Hongbin Li and Ruixue Jia illuminate how this test of all tests is also shaping education, labor markets, political legitimacy, and social values beyond the PRC.
In an era of disruptive global challenges, from climate crises to pandemics, understanding the drivers of drastic policy innovation is paramount. This study defines drastic policy innovation as a significant shift in governmental priorities through policies untried by most jurisdictions in a country. While policy entrepreneurs are often credited with initiating change, this study argues that political will is essential for enacting and implementing such innovative policies. Political will is defined as the degree of commitment among key decision makers to enact and implement specific policies. It is characterized by three key components: authority (the power to enact and enforce policy), capacity (the resources to implement it effectively), and legitimacy (the perceived rightfulness of actions by stakeholders). Through the case of low-carbon city experimentation in China, this study examines how political will drives the adoption and implementation of these policies. The findings reveal that a high level of political will is significantly linked to more drastically innovative policies being enacted and implemented and that when political will is institutionalized, implementation continues despite leadership turnover. These insights likely apply to other policy contexts and countries, regardless of regime type, albeit with some caveats.
In an era where digital technology serves as both a tool for liberation and a threat to democracy, the term “digital authoritarianism” has emerged to describe the strategies employed by authoritarian regimes to exert control in the digital sphere. This chapter explores the defining characteristics of digital authoritarianism as exemplified by countries such as China and Russia, identifying three primary pillars: information control, mass surveillance, and the creation of a fragmented, isolated Internet. Furthermore, this chapter emphasizes that digital authoritarian practices are not confined to authoritarian regimes. Democratic governments and technologically advanced private corporations, especially the dominant tech companies shaping the modern Internet, are also capable of adopting authoritarian tactics. Finally, the chapter argues that the technology itself—through the omnipotence of code in cyberspace—may inherently foster a form of digital authoritarianism.
Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy
International Journal of Behavioral Development,
January 10, 2025
This study aims to compare the ratings of primary caregivers and teachers of any mental health problems of preschool children in rural China. The primary caregivers and teachers provided their ratings of mental health of 1,191 sample rural preschool children (mean age = 56.8 months; 587 girls) using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). According to the findings, primary caregivers consistently gave their children higher SDQ scores and identified more symptoms across the different categories of mental health problems (i.e., normal, borderline, and abnormal) than teachers. The correlations between the ratings of caregivers and the ratings of teachers were low. The study also identifies the characteristics of children, caregivers, and teacher that were correlated with the differences in the ratings. Specifically, boys, children that were identified by scales of cognitively development as being delayed, and those that parented with authoritarian style were more likely to be rated differently by primary caregivers and teachers. In addition, primary caregivers from relatively poor families rated their children differently from teachers, compared with primary caregivers from relatively rich families. Regarding teachers, they tended to rate on child mental health differently from primary caregivers when they were male or at older age. These findings suggest considering multi-informant reports when assessing the mental health problems of preschool children in different settings. In addition, understanding factors linked to informant discrepancies can potentially improve the accuracy of the assessments.
Against the backdrop of China’s post-1978 economic transformation, recent challenges such as COVID-19 have prompted speculations about rising popular pessimism regarding current inequalities and opportunities to get ahead. This study compares findings from three new nationally representative surveys conducted in 2023 with three earlier surveys from 2004, 2009, and 2014. Results reveal a significant attitudinal shift, with 2023 respondents expressing markedly more critical views about the fairness of current inequality patterns. Respondents in the 2023 surveys increasingly attribute poverty versus wealth to structural factors like unequal opportunities rather than to variations in individual merit. Respondents also reported lower expectations for future income growth compared with the earlier surveys. While not indicating imminent threats to political stability, such trends suggest that China’s leaders will likely face increasing skepticism and even critical popular responses as they try to mobilize their citizens to confront the serious challenges that China faces in coming years.
