social scientist; writer

Welcome! I am Associate Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University, currently on research leave for the 2024-2025 academic year. In fall 2024 I am a Berlin Prize Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. In spring 2025, I am visiting the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. 

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My academic research explores modernity and its discontents, especially in areas related to the environment, climate change, nationalism, and ideology. I regularly conduct field research in China, Germany, and Mongolia.

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I am the author of The Performative State: Public Scrutiny and Environmental Governance in China (Cornell University Press 2022).

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I also write for non-academic outlets such as The Ideas Letter and Berlin Journal.

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I hold a Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University and a B.A. in Political Science and Russian and Eastern European Studies from the University of Michigan.

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Substack:  izading.substack.com

Social:  x.com/izading  izading.bsky.social

My photography:  izadingart.com  instagram.com/iza.ding/