Johns Hopkins SAIS names China expert David Bulman the Assistant Professor of International Affairs and China Studies, and Director of the Pacific Community Initiative
The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) has named David Bulman the Assistant Professor of International Affairs and China Studies. He will also serve as Director of the Pacific Community Initiative at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs.
“As a leading scholar of China and a former World Bank economist, David will bring a pragmatic and historical perspective on China Studies to Johns Hopkins SAIS,” Dean Vali Nasr said. “His research on the relationship between politics and economic outcomes in China will prepare our students to understand how the Chinese state operates and pursues its interests both at home and abroad. As the Director of the Pacific Community Initiative at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, David will also be instrumental in leading an initiative on what China’s broader role in Asia and the world means for its neighbors and partners. It is an honor to welcome David, an alumnus of Johns Hopkins SAIS, back to campus.”
Prior to joining Johns Hopkins SAIS, Bulman was an economist at the World Bank and a China Public Policy Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. He has held positions as a Program Officer at the Asia Society and consultant for Powell Tate Beijing. Bulman was also an adjunct lecturer in the China Studies Program and a Visiting Scholar at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies (HNC).
His research focuses on the political economy of development, with an emphasis on the relationship between political and career incentives and economic outcomes in China. Bulman’s first book, Incentivized Development in China: Leaders, Governance, and Growth in China’s Counties (Cambridge University Press, 2016), examined the political foundations of local economic growth in China, focusing on the institutional and economic roles of county-level leaders and the career incentives that shape their behavior. He has also contributed to the Handbook on China and Developing Countries (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015), the Review of International Organizations, and the Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy.
“David Bulman brings great strengths to our China Studies Program – including his grounding in economics, comparative politics, and methods,” said David M. Lampton, the George and Sadie Hyman Professor of China Studies and Director of the China Studies Program. “His experience at The World Bank will help students in a great number of ways. David will also be responsible for running our Pacific Community Initiative and work closely with the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation in Hong Kong. He is a great addition to the Johns Hopkins SAIS community.”
Bulman’s current research projects analyze the institutional determinants of “middle income traps” and central management of the local dynamism/control tradeoff in China’s provinces. He received his MA and PhD in China Studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a BA in Economics from Columbia University.
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About Johns Hopkins SAIS
A division of Johns Hopkins University, the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a global institution that offers students an international perspective on today's critical issues. For more than 70 years, Johns Hopkins SAIS has produced great leaders, thinkers, and practitioners of international relations. Public leaders and private sector executives alike seek the counsel of the faculty, whose ideas and research inform and shape policy. Johns Hopkins SAIS offers a global perspective across three campus locations: Bologna, Italy; Nanjing, China; and Washington, D.C. The school’s interdisciplinary curriculum is strongly rooted in the study of international economics, international relations, and regional studies, preparing students to address multifaceted challenges in the world today.
For more information, visit sais-jhu.edu or @SAISHopkins
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