Dr. Esther Song

Associate

Dr. Esther Song

  • Short CV

    • Since 01/2024 Associate Professor, Department of Government, University of Bergen (UiB)
    • Since 10/2023: Associate at the GIGA Institute for Asian Studies

    • 01/2022 - 09/2023: Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for Asian Studies and in the project “COVID-19 and Executive Personalization in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America and the MENA Region”

    • 01/2021-02/2021: Lecturer, Randolph-Macon College

    • 06/2020: PhD Political Science, Stanford University

    • Education: PhD Political Science, Stanford University; MA Political Science, Stanford University; BA Political Science and International Relations, Korea University

    Current Research

    • China's foreign policy

    • Civil society policies and theory in China

    • Foreign policy attitudes in South Korea
    • Authoritarianism

    Countries and Regions

    • China

    • East Asia

    Dr. Esther Song

    Associate

    [email protected]

    Asian Survey: A Bimonthly Review of Contemporary Asian Affairs | 08/2023

    COVID-19, Anti-Chinese Sentiment, and Foreign Policy Attitudes in South Korea

    COVID-19 generated significant anti-Chinese sentiment in South Korea. Domestic elite-level narratives regarding China at the pandemic’s onset were highly polarized: conservative parties advocated border shutdowns, emphasizing China as originating the virus, while progressive parties warned that this would incite xenophobia. Did these narratives shape anti-Chinese sentiment, and what are their foreign policy effects?

    Australian Journal of International Affairs | 09/2024

    China’s Dual Signalling in Maritime Disputes

    How does China signal foreign policy intentions to domestic and international audiences during territorial conflicts? While China can signal its resolve by provoking nationalism at home, doing so may risk appearing threatening to neighbouring countries in the region. We argue that China resolves the dilemma by sending different types of messages to domestic and international audiences.

    GIGA Working Papers | 01/2024

    Personnel, Institutions, and Power: Revisiting the Concept of Executive Personalisation

    Evidence shows a growing trend of chief executives personalising power in autocracies and democracies. Yet, scholarly focus remains siloed according to regime type. This Working Paper presents an overarching framework on the “Personalisation of Executive Power,” identifying the involved mechanisms.

    The Diplomat | Expert Comment / Guest Contribution | 24/12/2022

    South Koreans Have the World’s Most Negative Views of China. Why?

    When asked about general views of China, 81 per cent of South Korean respondents expressed negative or very negative sentiments. That is more than in any of the 56 countries surveyed worldwide. What makes South Koreans so negative about China? And what are the foreign policy implications?

    Ewha Womans University | 14/10/2023

    Computational Methods in Political Science Research: Examples from Social Media Data and News Data

    Organiser: Ewha Womans University Dr. Esther Song (Speaker)

    Talk given at Computational Social Science Workshop, Graduate School of International Studies, Ewha Womans University, Seoul South Korea. The talk focused on introducing graduate students at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Ewha Womans University on how computational social science methods can be used in political science research. Examples were drawn from Dr. Song's recent research published or forthcoming in Journal of Chinese Political Science, Asian Survey, and Korea Observer.

    Conference | 04/09/2023 - 08/09/2023

    Personnel Management as a Credible Commitment Mechanism: Evidence from North Korea

    ECPR General Conference 2023, Charles University, Prague Organisers: European Consortium for Political Research Dr. Esther Song (Speaker)

    Dr. Esther Song presents her paper "Personnel Management as a Credible Commitment Mechanism: Evidence from North Korea" at the ECPR General Conference 2023 in Prague. The presentation is part of the panel " Personalisation and regime legitimacy in autocracies", chaired by her. Co-Chair is GIGA expert Dr. André Bank.

    Teaching | Department of Political Science, Randolph-Macon College | 2021

    Chinese Politics

    Department of Political Science, Randolph-Macon College Ashland, VA United States

    Notification

    Sign up to receive email notifications about GIGA activities

    Social Media

    Follow us