Zhuo CHEN

About Me

Hello, my name is Zhuo Chen (陈卓). My research interests are centered on comparative politics, particularly in the areas of African politics, political behavior and political economy.

I am actively seeking a Research Assistant position!

Education

Fudan University (FDU), Shanghai, China

• M.A. in Political Science, Sep. 2023 – Jun. 2026

Hunan Normal University (HNNU), Changsha, China

• B.A. in Political Science and Public Administration, Sep. 2019 – Jun. 2023
• Interdisciplinary Program for Outstanding Undergraduates (Shicheng Class), Sep. 2020 – Jun. 2023

Research in Progress

• Tracks of Division: The Effects of Standard Gauge Railways on National Identity in Kenya
• African Socialism and State-building in Kenya: The Origin of Harambee Movement during the Cold War
• Democracy or Ethnicity? The Impacts of the Devolution Reform on Public Goods Provision in Kenya

Master’s and Undergraduate Theses

Master's Thesis

• The Effects of Railway Upgrading on National Identity in Africa: Evidence from Kenya and Nigeria

Undergraduate Thesis

• Embeddedness and Coaptation: Strategic Development of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives in Rural China

Publications and Others

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

• “Contesting Narratives, Empirical Evidence, and the Global South: Rethinking China-Africa Relations.” Global South Studies. Revise and Resubmit. (in Chinese)
• “Is Fault-Tolerant Mechanism Effective in Enhancing Innovation Inclination? — A Survey Experiment of Grassroots-Level Civil Servants in the Yangtze River Delta Region” With Cai (Vera) Zuo. The Journal of Shanghai Administration Institute. 2026, 27(4): 4-16. (in Chinese) CSSCI, IF=4.094
• “The Method of Designing and Constructing Meditation Spaces in Libraries: A Global Survey on Renowned Academic Libraries.” With Jing Chen and Li Tang. Research on Library Science. 2024, (8): 125-137. (in Chinese) CSSCI, IF=3.322
• “The Framework and Approach for Tactile Sensation Design in Library Physical Spaces.” With Jing Chen and Wei Yang. Library Development. 2024, Vol. 328 (4): 128-137. (in Chinese) CSSCI, IF=4.39
• “An Introduction to Services for Readers with Mild Senile Dementia in Japanese Public Libraries.” With Jing Chen and Xue Yin. Library Journal. 2024, Vol. 43 (5): 68-77. (in Chinese) CSSCI, IF=3.589

Review Essays

• Review of Deborah Brautigam, The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa, XinTianXueShe, 2025.
• Review of Poppy Cullen, Kenya and Britain after Independence: Beyond Neo-Colonialism, 2024.

Field Research

Selected Fellowships and Awards

• National Scholarship (Top 1%), 2025, 2022
• Gu-Jing Scholarship (Top 1%), 2025
• Yang-Shuda Scholarship (Top 1‰), 2022
• Excellent Graduates in Shanghai, 2026
• Excellent Graduates in Hunan Province, 2023
• First-class Scholarship of Fudan University, 2025, 2026
• First-class Scholarship of Hunan Normal University, 2020-2022
• Excellent Students of Fudan University, 2024, 2025
• Excellent Students of Hunan Normal University, 2020-2022
• First Prize of Zhexun Cup National Final, 2022

Extra-curriculum Activities / Volunteer Work

• Group Leader, China-Africa Shanghai International Network (CASIN), 2025-present
• Volunteer, SIRPA Research Design Workshop, FDU, 2025-2026
• Secretary, Communist Youth League Branch of SIRPA, FDU, 2023-2026
• Group Leader, Interview Section of the Political Scientists (Zhengzhi Xueren), 2022-2024
• Deputy Secretary, Communist Youth League Branch in Changsha County, 2022-2023
• President, Student Union of SOPA, HNNU, 2021-2022

Additional Information

• Computer Skills: R, Stata, Python, ArcGIS, QGIS, fsQCA, Gephi, LaTeX,
• Language: Chinese (native), English (fluent), Swahili (beginner), Shona(beginner)