Wen-Hsuan Tsai

Wen-Hsuan Tsai is a Research Fellow and Professor at the Institute of Political Science, Academia Sinica, Taiwan. He specializes in the political systems and institutional reforms of the Chinese Communist Party, as well as comparative authoritarian regimes. His work bridges political theory with empirical case studies, particularly focusing on mainland China’s governance and elite politics.

Education:

• Ph.D. in East Asian Studies, National Chengchi University, Taiwan (2010)

Research Interests:
Wen-Hsuan Tsai's research delves into the political reform mechanisms within the Chinese Communist Party, examining how institutional changes affect governance and control. He also explores comparative authoritarianism, analyzing how different regimes maintain power and legitimacy. His work includes in-depth studies of grassroots governance in mainland China and the elite bureaucratic structures that shape policy implementation.

His publications span across top-tier SSCI and TSSCI journals, reflecting a consistent focus on Chinese politics, institutional centralization, and authoritarian resilience.

Books:

• The Logic of Political Reform in Mainland China: A Comparative Study of Sichuan, Guangdong, and Jiangsu (in Chinese)
• Targeting the 18th Party Congress: The CCP’s Fifth Generation of Political Leaders (with Prof. Chien-Wen Kou, in Chinese)
• The Inner Court of Communist China: Elites and Their Bureaucratic Institutions in an Authoritarian System (1921–2022) (Amsterdam University Press, 2025)
• A Tight Grip: State Power and Control in Modern China (University of British Columbia Press, 2025)
• Institutional Centralization: Leadership and Policy Implementation in Xi Jinping’s China (Australian National University Press, 2026)

Contact:
Email: whtsai@gate.sinica.edu.tw
Phone: +886-2-2652-5337