Yang-Yang Zhou

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science. I study national identity, conflict, and development in the context of migration, particularly within the Global South.

From 2021 through 2023, I will be on leave as a Harvard Academy Scholar. During this time, I will not be supervising new graduate students

A central focus of my research is to bring evidence to questions, and often misperceptions, within scholarly and public debates about the effects of migrants on host communities. A few questions that I’m thinking about these days: How does the presence of forcibly displaced migrants affect local development and public goods provision, conflict, and voting behavior? For minority citizens who share ethnic and cultural ties with migrants, what explains why they are sometimes inclusive and pro-migrant, but other times, they seek to differentiate themselves by excluding or “othering” migrants? And in contexts marked by anti-migrant prejudice and discrimination, can certain types of interventions — like prolonged intergroup contact between locals and migrants — work in reducing tensions? These projects span multiple regions, including East Africa, Central Asia, and South America.