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Reposted by Shiran Victoria Shen

Policy Studies Journal @psjeditor.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

BLOG POST ALERT! Check out this PSJ blog post examining how recurring environmental inspection campaigns in China can make regulation more consistent over time. By Shiran Victoria Shen, Qi Wang & Bing Zhang Read here: psjblog.net/2026/09/16/b... #PSJ #PolicyStudiesJournal

psjblog.net

Beyond One-Off Crackdowns: How Regularized Campaigns Can Sustain Compliance

In May 2026, China launched the sixth batch of its third round of central environmental inspections. Seven teams entered seven provinces and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. By June …

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

I’m honored to have received the 2026 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities. Grateful to ORAU for the support and to @washu.edu for the nomination and matching support. Excited to continue my work on climate politics. polisci.washu.edu/news/shiran-...

polisci.washu.edu

Shiran Victoria Shen Secures Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award

Shen was selected as one of only 36 awardees selected from 172 applications from 94 member institutions.

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Reposted by Shiran Victoria Shen

Policy Studies Journal @psjeditor.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

This article introduces “regularized campaigns,” showing how enforcement waves close compliance gaps and reshape incentives in environmental governance. By: Shiran Victoria Shen, Qi Wang, & Bing Zhang Read here: doi.org/10.1111/psj.... #PSJ #PolicyStudiesJournal

doi.org

<em>Policy Studies Journal</em> | PSO Public Policy Journal | Wiley Online Library

How can governments sustain compliance improvements when institutions falter and ad hoc enforcement fades? This study introduces “regularized campaigns” as an institutional innovation that combines t...

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Reposted by Shiran Victoria Shen

americaadapts.org @americaadapts.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

📬 New newsletter is out. This edition highlights my interview with Dr. Shiran Victoria Shen on how #climate #adaptation emerges in China after the 2021 Henan floods — and what that reveals about governance, public pressure, and risk. Also sharing international episodes from the archive 🇦🇺🌍

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

🎙️ New podcast with @americaadapts.bsky.social 🎙️ #ClimateAdaptation in #China 🇨🇳 — what the 2021 Henan flood taught us about public demand, participation, and the limits of top-down policy. 🎧 www.americaadapts.org/episodes/pub...

americaadapts.org

Public Participation and Climate Adaptation in China — AMERICA ADAPTS The Climate Change Podcast

Public Participation and Climate Adaptation in China. Ep. 246.

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Grateful to the mentors and peers who supported that cross-pollination. If you’re building an interdisciplinary path: I’m cheering for you—keep going. #climate #sustainability #governance #policy #politicaleconomy #academia

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

A candid note: when I first applied to CEE as a 3rd-year PhD in Stanford Political Science, I was turned down. I kept going anyway because curiosity and conviction mattered more than the initial outcome. Pursuing CEE alongside Poli Sci proved to be one of the most formative decisions of my training.

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

I’m delighted to be featured by Stanford Civil & Environmental Engineering on how engineering training continues to shape my work in environmental politics, especially the “technical foundations” that help me engage policy design and regulation with more precision. cee.stanford.edu/news/alumni-...

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

• insights from award-winning book, The Political Regulation Wave @cambup-law.cambridge.org: how local incentives shape policy implementation • my path from @swarthmorecollege.bsky.social → @stanford.edu (and beyond), and the through-line: trust your intellectual instincts 2/2

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Delighted to be featured in🎙️@gldinstitute.bsky.social Fellow Interview🎙️ The transcript: bit.ly/gldsvshen We talk about: • why political will can produce short-term wins (think “Olympic Blue”), but durable sustainability needs institutions + science-informed policy tools 1/2

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

For a short overview of the full study, see my thread here: bsky.app/profile/svsh...

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

🎙️ New Interview with @dialogueearth.bsky.social 🎙️ on my research on how climate adaptation can reflect community feedback and practical risk-reduction needs in 🇨🇳. dialogue.earth/en/climate/h...

dialogue.earth

How is the Chinese public engaging in climate adaptation?

While government message boards and NGOs are growing in importance, community self-organising remains crucial

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Reposted by Shiran Victoria Shen

Authoritarian Political Systems Group @apsgworkshop.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

Join us in congratulating @svshen.bsky.social for this fantastic recognition! 👏

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

🚨 New Policy Brief 🚨 How can citizen voices shape #ClimatePolicy in non-democracies? Drawing on lessons from #China ’s 2021 Henan flood, this @gldinstitute.bsky.social brief shows how citizen petitions can drive more efficient, cost-effective #ClimateAdaptation — even under #authoritarian rule.

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Reposted by Shiran Victoria Shen

APPAM @appam.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Congratulations to the APPAM World Citizen Prizes in Environmental Performance award recipient Shiran Victoria Shen! We look forward to learning more about her at #2025APPAM. Learn more: ow.ly/7JJP50XeWYh

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Reposted by Shiran Victoria Shen

Governance and Local Development Institute @gldinstitute.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

🚨New Policy Brief No. 28 written by @svshen.bsky.social is a fresh answer to a classic governance challenge—the principal-agent problem: How can principals deploy regularized campaigns to reduce discretion, curb capture, and reshape agent incentives—with lasting effects? Learn More: bit.ly/GLDPB28

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

🚨New Policy Brief🚨 A fresh answer to a classic governance challenge—the 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹-𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: How principals can deploy 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 to reduce discretion, curb capture, and reshape agent incentives—with lasting effects. Now live @gldinstitute.bsky.social

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Reposted by Shiran Victoria Shen

Authoritarian Political Systems Group @apsgworkshop.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

New Publication! How can governments sustain compliance improvements when institutions falter and ad hoc enforcement fades? New paper @psjeditor.bsky.social by @svshen.bsky.social (@washupolisci.bsky.social) offers a fresh answer to this enduring principal-agent challenge doi.org/10.1111/psj....

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

Grateful to collaborators and colleagues for their support—and motivated to continue advancing research for stronger environmental performance worldwide. 5/5

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

📑 Social Competition @pnas.org: Demonstrates how social competition between neighborhoods reduces informal waste burning, creating durable norm shifts that cut pollution. doi.org/10.1073/pnas... 3/5

doi.org

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

📘 The Political Regulation Wave @cambup-law.cambridge.org: Explores how political and bureaucratic incentives shape environmental outcomes—and how they can be harnessed to drive real improvements. doi.org/10.1017/9781... 2/5

doi.org

The Political Regulation Wave

Cambridge Core - Environmental Policy, Economics and Law - The Political Regulation Wave

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

I'm delighted and honored to receive the 2025 @appam.bsky.social 🌍 World Citizen Prize in Environmental Performance 🌍 polisci.wustl.edu/news/shiran-... recognizing a body of works on #pollution control, including: 1/5

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

📑 Social Competitions @pnas.org: Demonstrates how social competitions between neighborhoods reduce informal waste burning, creating durable norm shifts that cut pollution. doi.org/10.1073/pnas... 3/5

doi.org

PNAS

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

📘 The Political Regulation Wave @cambup-law.cambridge.org: Shows how political and bureaucratic incentives shape environmental outcomes—and how they can be harnessed to drive real improvements. doi.org/10.1017/9781... 2/5

doi.org

The Political Regulation Wave

Cambridge Core - Environmental Policy, Economics and Law - The Political Regulation Wave

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

These findings show how extreme weather can spark bottom-up political engagement—even in authoritarian settings. Incorporating citizen perspectives can strengthen adaptation policy—especially where top-down, technocratic approaches (e.g., costly but ineffective “sponge city” pilot) dominate. 10/10

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Concern over the flood and disaster preparedness spilled over beyond Henan—prompting petitions in unaffected provinces that explicitly referenced the 2021 Henan flood. 9/10

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

The 2021 Henan flood stands out for the scale of destruction—and its political aftermath. Other major, but less devastating, floods did not trigger comparable surges in adaptation-related petitions on the LLMB. 8/10

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Topic modeling shows that appeals focused on concrete, localized vulnerabilities—demands that weren’t framed as “climate” issues but were functionally aligned with adaptation. 7/10

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Using a dynamic DiD model, I find a sustained rise in adaptation-related requests in Henan. These estimates are likely conservative, given: 1️⃣ Spillover effects in other provinces 2️⃣ Concurrent but less severe flooding elsewhere 6/10

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

The flood triggered a sharp rise in climate adaptation petitions across Henan—a surge that persisted for months. 5/10

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

The 2021 Henan flood was among the deadliest floods in recent 🇨🇳 history. Official source found that anthropogenic climate change increased rainfall intensity by 7.5%: doi.org/10.1016/j.sc... 4/10

doi.org

Redirecting

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

In authoritarian regimes, public sentiment carries less direct political weight. But state-sanctioned petition platforms can still channel bottom-up pressure. This study focuses on one such system: China’s Local Leaders’ Message Board (LLMB). 3/10

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

Why study the Global South and authoritarian regimes? 1️⃣ They face acute climate risks but often lack capacity and resources. 2️⃣ The focus has largely been on politicians and bureaucrats—not citizens. 3️⃣ Studies on public response often rely on commercial social media and are mainly descriptive. 2/10

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

🚨New Article🚨 What happens after a major climate disaster in developing and authoritarian contexts? My new study ‪@commsearth.nature.com‬ examines how citizens made adaptation demands to local governments in 🇨🇳 after the 2021 Henan flood. doi.org/10.1038/s432... 🧵 1/10

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

We conduct an extensive set of robustness checks—see the full paper for details. Although the empirical case is situated in an authoritarian context, the theory should be applicable to democratic settings as well. 8/

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Notably, the effect was indistinguishable from zero in 2018—a year with no active central campaigning, suggesting a sustained impact of regularized campaigns. 7/

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Using confidential government data, we find that firms with greater economic significance were more likely to violate standards prior to the CEI. After the CEI, this compliance gap narrowed and became statistically insignificant. 6/

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Central environmental inspections (CEIs) were introduced in campaign-style waves to address persistent compliance gaps—defined as disparities in compliance outcomes among regulated entities. 5/

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

retain discretion over enforcement, and enforcement data is often reported by agents themselves, creating opportunities for manipulation. This creates a classic principal-agent problem. 4/

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Empirical case: firm pollution regulation in 🇨🇳 The core challenge: While the principal—the Ministry of Environmental Protection—possesses reliable emissions data through institutional monitoring systems like CEMS, local agents (prefectural environmental protection bureaus) 3/

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

Let’s unpack this institutional innovation in a 🧵: Traditionally, governance tools emphasize either institutions or ad hoc campaigns. While institutions offer continuity, campaigns are mobilized for crisis or reform but are often unsustainable. Regularized campaigns combine features of both: 2/

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

🚨New Paper🚨 How can governments sustain compliance improvements when institutions falter and ad hoc enforcement fades? Our paper offers a fresh answer to this governance puzzle. I'm so glad it overcame rounds of blocking and found a great home @psjeditor.bsky.social! doi.org/10.1111/psj.... 1/

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

Delighted to learn that our paper (threaded below) has received the 2025 Evan Ringquist Award from @apsa.bsky.social's Science, Technology & Environmental Politics (STEP) Section! Take a look if you haven’t already.

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Reposted by Shiran Victoria Shen

Authoritarian Political Systems Group @apsgworkshop.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

New Publication Alert! In this study @svshen.bsky.social compares Chinese cities with similar goals and conditions, participating in the same experiments, but achieving different decarbonization results to draw governance lessons on effective decarbonization doi.org/10.1111/psj....

doi.org

<em>Policy Studies Journal</em> | PSO Public Policy Journal | Wiley Online Library

Policy experiments are crucial for fostering innovation and mitigating risks and can serve as catalysts for transformative changes. This study investigates the governance of policy experiments in Chi...

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Encouragingly, the study finds that interdisciplinary PhDs can manage to thrive when their institutions value and are equipped to support cross-cutting work. Link to full paper: arxiv.org/pdf/2503.21912 2/

arxiv.org

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Shiran Victoria Shen @svshen.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Interesting paper that resonated: top universities often favor disciplinary PhDs in hiring, prioritizing alignment with existing faculty over interdisciplinarity. Yet as global challenges grow more complex, interdisciplinary research is more essential than ever. 1/

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Reposted by Shiran Victoria Shen

Policy Studies Journal @psjeditor.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

Discover this PSJ article from our latest issue revealing how political will – through authority, capacity, and legitimacy – drives bold policy innovation, with evidence from China’s low-carbon cities. By @svshen.bsky.social Read here: doi.org/10.1111/psj.... #PSJ #PolicyStudiesJournal

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