Howard Liu

Howard Liu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of South Carolina, McCausland College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on state repression, political violence, and network analysis in authoritarian regimes.

• PhD in Political Science, Duke University (2019)
• MS in Political Science, National Taiwan University (2009)
• BA in Diplomacy, National Chengchi University (2007)

His work explores the role of coercive institutions (police, military, courts) and tactics (direct violence, nonviolent coercion) in maintaining political control, emphasizing spatial and network dynamics. Publications span top journals like The Journal of Politics and Journal of Conflict Resolution, with methodological innovations in network analysis and geolocation.

Recent publications (2019–2025) focus on geopolitical interactions, strategic sentencing, and latent embedding adjustments, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach combining authoritarian politics, machine learning, and spatiotemporal modeling.