Center for Strategic and International Studies

Pekingology

China is one of the 21st century’s most consequential nations, and it has never been more important to understand how the country is governed. Pekingology is the podcast that unpacks Chinese politics, the inner workings of the Communist Party, and how China's domestic and foreign policy will impact the world. Pekingology is hosted by Henrietta Levin, Senior Fellow with the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS. It is produced by Gina Kim.

Author

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Category

Government

Latest episode

Jul 9, 2026

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Episodes

Foreign and Security Policymaking in Xi Jinping’s China 05.05.2022

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Suisheng Zhao, Professor and Director of the Center for China-US Cooperation at University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, to discuss his paper, Top-level Design and Enlarged Diplomacy: Foreign and Security Policymaking in Xi Jinping’s China.

The Rise of Data Politics 21.04.2022

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Lizhi Liu, Assistant Professor in the McDonough School of Business and a faculty affiliate of the Department of Government at Georgetown University, to discuss her recent paper, The Rise of Data Politics: Digital China and the World.

Elite Purges in Marxist-Leninist Regimes 07.04.2022

In this week’s episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Joseph Torigian, an assistant professor in the School of International Service at American University, to discuss his paper “You Don't Know Khrushchev Well”: The Ouster of the Soviet Leader as a Challenge to Recent Scholarship on Authoritarian Politics.

Defending Stability Under Threat 24.03.2022

In this week’s episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by H. Christoph Steinhardt, assistant professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Vienna, to discuss his paper, Defending Stability under Threat: Sensitive Periods and the Repression of Protest in Urban China.

The Xi Jinping Effect 10.03.2022

In this week’s episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Ashley Esarey, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta, to discuss his recent paper, Propaganda as a Lens for Assessing Xi Jinping’s Leadership.

Why Does the CCP Need a Core? 24.02.2022

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is join by Xuezhi Guo, the Lincoln Financial Professor of Political Science at Gilford College, to discuss his book, The Politics of the Core Leader in China: Culture, Institution, Legitimacy, and Power.

Grading Xi Jinping 10.02.2022

In this week’s episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Elizabeth Economy, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, currently on leave serving as senior advisor for China in the Department of Commerce. They discuss her evaluation of Xi Jinping’s leadership, as well as her new book, The World According to China.

Democratic Centralism 27.01.2022

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Patricia Thornton, an Associate Professor of Chinese Politics at University of Oxford and Acting Chief Editor of The China Quarterly. They discuss her recent paper, Of Constitutions, Campaigns and Commissions: A Century of Democratic Centralism under the CCP.

Performative Governance 13.01.2022

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Iza Ding, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Pittsburg, to discuss her paper, Performative Governance.

From General Secretary to Chairman: Xi Jinping’s Third Road 16.12.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Ling Li, a Lecturer in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Vienna, to discuss her essay, The Third Road: Where Will Xi Jinping Go in 2022?.

Cyber Nationalism and Regime Support under Xi Jinping 02.12.2021

In this week’s episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Rongbin Han, an Associate Professor in the Department of International Affairs at The University of Georgia, to discuss his recent paper, Cyber Nationalism and Regime Support under Xi Jinping: The Effects of the 2018 Constitutional Revision.

Public Opinion in China 18.11.2021

On this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Rory Truex, an Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University, to discuss his research on public opinion in China. For more on Rory's work: https://www.rorytruex.com/research-areas

Special Deals with Chinese Characteristics 21.10.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair Jude Blanchette is joined by Chang-Tai Hsieh, the Phyllis and Irwin Winkelried Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, to discuss his recently co-authored paper, Special Deals with Chinese Characteristics.

From Mao to Now 07.10.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by David Shambaugh, the Gaston Sigur Professor of Asian Studies, Political Science & International Affairs, and the founding Director of the China Policy Program in the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, to discuss his new book, China's Leaders: From Mao to Now.

Political Risk and Firm Exit 23.09.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Jack Zhang, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Director of the Trade War Lab at the University of Kansas. They discuss a co-authored paper with Samantha Vortherms, Assistant Professor of Political Science at UC Irvine, Political Risk and Firm Exit: Evidence from the US-China Trade War, which exami...

Who Not What 09.09.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Mary Gallagher, Professor of Political Science and Director of the International Institute at the University of Michigan, and Blake Miller, Assistant Professor of Computational Social Science at the London School of Economics, to discuss their recent paper, Who Not What: The Logic of China's Information Con...

Rethinking Chinese Politics 26.08.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Joseph Fewsmith, Professor of International Relations and Political Science at the Boston University Pardee School, to discuss his new book, Rethinking Chinese Politics, which was recently published by Cambridge University Press.

Workers and Change in China 12.08.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Manfred Elfstrom, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, Philosophy, and Political Science at the University of British Columbia, to discuss his new book, Workers and Change in China: Resistance, Repression, Responsiveness. 

Reading the People's Daily 29.07.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Manoj Kewalramani, a Fellow in China Studies at the Bangalore-based Takshashila Institution. They discuss how and why to read the People's Daily. 

Retrofitting Leninism 15.07.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Dimitar Gueorguiev, an associate professor of political science at Syracuse University, to discuss his forthcoming book, Retrofitting Leninism: Participation without Democracy in China.

Visible Development First 01.07.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Leng Ning, an Assistant Professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, to discuss her research on state-business relations and incentive structures for CCP cadres. 

Overcoming the Emperor's Dilemma 17.06.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Wang Yuhua, the Frederick S. Danziger Associate Professor of Government at Harvard University, to discuss how rulers in Imperial China maintained -- and lost -- political power. 

Patriotic Education 03.06.2021

In this episode of Pekingology, Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette is joined by Karrie J. Koesel, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, to discuss her research on Beijing's campaign to instill regime loyalty amongst the Chinese population.

Cautious Bully 20.05.2021

In this week’s episode of Pekingology, Jude Blanchette is joined by George Mason University's Ketian Zhang to discuss her recent article, "Cautious Bully: Reputation, Resolve, and Beijing's Use of Coercion in the South China Sea."

Ideology Matters 06.05.2021

In this week’s episode of Pekingology, Jude Blanchette is joined by Jason Wu, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Indiana University, to discuss his work mapping the substance and spectrum of ideology in China. 

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