She received her PhD in Politics from Princeton University. Her research interests include the political economy of East Asia, Chinese economic development, Chinese business, globalization in East Asia, and the dynamics of transition from central planning to markets. She is the author of two books about China, How the Farmers Changed China: Power of the People and China's Long March to Freedom: Grassroots Modernization. At Hoover, she will study the archives of the KMT party.