Weijia Li

Weijia Li is an Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in the Department of Economics at Monash University, affiliated with Impact Labs. Their research focuses on Political Economics, Development Economics, and Economic History, with a particular emphasis on corruption dynamics, autocratic governance, and institutional evolution. Li holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor's in Economics and Finance from Tsinghua University.

Key research contributions include analyzing the political boundaries of corruption in party-state systems, fiscal capacity erosion, and the origins of meritocracy in autocracies. Their work has been published in journals like the Journal of Comparative Economics and Economic Journal.

• Awards: Asia-Pacific Prize in Economic History (2020), multiple Dean’s Purple Letters for Teaching Excellence (2021-2022), and the CASBS Summer Institute honor (2019).
• Teaching: Recognized for excellence in education, including a Learning and Teaching Prize (2021).
• Collaborations: Active in cross-country research networks, particularly in political and development economics.

Li actively supervises PhD students and contributes to policy-relevant research on institutional design and governance.