Julia Bader

Julia Bader is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science within the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and affiliated with the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR). She serves as co-director of the Political Economy and Transnational Governance research group and is actively engaged with the External Democracy Promotion (EDP) Network and the International Diffusion and Cooperation of Authoritarian Regimes (IDCAR) network.

Dr. Bader holds a Master of Arts in Politics and Management from the University of Konstanz and a PhD in Political Science from the University of Heidelberg. Prior to joining UvA in 2012, she worked as a research fellow at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) in Bonn.

Her research focuses on the intersection of international relations and comparative regime studies, specifically examining China's foreign relations with authoritarian regimes. She investigates how China targets specific actors in autocracies versus democracies, how the non-interference policy translates into support for autocratic leaders, and China's influence on authoritarianism diffusion globally. Dr. Bader is currently researching the international network of the Chinese Communist Party and soft power dynamics in authoritarian contexts.

Her seminal work "China's Foreign Relations and the Survival of Autocracies" (2015) analyzes China's bilateral relations with Burma, Cambodia, and Mongolia, revealing that while China shows preference for economic cooperation with autocracies, only specific forms of engagement increase autocratic survival prospects. Her research demonstrates how China exploits secretive decision-making in autocracies to secure resources and strategic advantages.

• Member of External Democracy Promotion (EDP) Network
• Member of International Diffusion and Cooperation of Authoritarian Regimes (IDCAR)
• Former external partner of "Undermining Hegemony" project (US, China, Russia, and International Public Goods)
• Associate Fellow at German Development Institute (DIE)

Dr. Bader's scholarship bridges political science, international relations, and Asian studies, providing critical insights into authoritarian resilience and great power politics in the contemporary international system.