David Yang

David Yang is the Yvonne P.L. Lui Professor of Economics at Harvard University, affiliated with the Department of Economics and the Center for History and Economics. His research focuses on political economy, authoritarian regimes, and the intersection of technology with governance. He has held academic roles since 2020, including Assistant Professor (2020–2022), Associate Professor (2022–2023), and his current professorship since 2024. Yang’s work examines policy experimentation in China, AI governance, and civil liberties during crises.

Key research interests include the political economy of autocracies, the role of government in innovation (e.g., AI venture capital), and protest dynamics. His studies on China’s 'Autocracy 2.0' model and AI’s role in authoritarian control challenge traditional understandings of governance and technology. Collaborations with institutions like J-PAL and MIT’s Poverty Action Lab highlight his policy-oriented approach.

Articles analyze topics such as facial recognition AI’s role in suppressing unrest, data-driven innovation in China, and pandemic-era civil liberties trade-offs. His work frequently intersects with global power dynamics, as seen in studies on trade-based surveillance technology diffusion and China’s rise as an innovation hub. Yang’s research also explores historical legacies, including the Cultural Revolution’s impact on intergenerational beliefs and the Great Famine’s erosion of political trust.

He advises PhD students and oversees grants related to political economy and development. His lab at Harvard’s Center for History and Economics fosters interdisciplinary research on policy experimentation and authoritarian governance. Yang’s contributions have been featured in outlets like the New York Times, Economist, and Brookings, emphasizing real-world policy relevance.