WEI Wenchi is an associate professor at the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Wuhan University in 2011, Master’s degree in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Maryland in 2013, and Doctoral degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Kentucky in 2019. Prior to joining Tsinghua University in February 2024, he served as an assistant professor at the School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Deputy Director of the Institute of Public Finance and Public Policy, and Research Associate at the National Academy of Development and Strategy.
His research interests include public budgeting and finance, public sector performance management, and public policy evaluation. As the independent or first author, he has published seven papers in Public Administration Review, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and Governance. Additionally, he has published nearly 20 papers in other high-impact journals in the field of public administration, including Public Management Review, American Review of Public Administration, Public Choice, and Public Performance and Management Review. He has won the CPSG Best Policy Research Paper Award (2022), CAAPA Best Student Paper Award (2019), Renmin University of China Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award (2022), and the Academic Contribution Award of School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China (2021). His research has been supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Beijing Social Science Foundation. Additionally, he has participated in a number of major research projects funded by the National Social Science Foundation and Ministry of Education.
Fields of Interests：Public budgeting and finance,Public sector performance management,Public policy
Selected academic publications:
Wei, Wenchi. 2022. Municipal structure matters: Evidence from government fiscal performance. Public Administration Review 82(1): 160-173.
Wei, Wenchi, Zhiwei Zhang, and Kaifeng Yang. 2022. Local institutions and public service outsourcing: Managerial professionalism, mayoral strength, and electoral rules. Public Administration Review 82(6): 1095-1123.
Wei, Wenchi, and J.S. Butler. 2021. State Fiscal Constraints and Local Responses: Evidence from the Property Tax Limit Overrides in Massachusetts. Public Administration Review 81(3): 399-413.
Wei, Wenchi. 2022. Fiscal slack, rule constraints, and government corruption. Public Administration Review 82(5): 850-865.
Wei, Wenchi, Chengwei Wang, Wenkang Zhai, and Wenzhao Li. 2023. “Honor List” and “Shame Roll”: Quasi-Experimental Evidence of the Effect of Performance Feedback under Political Control. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 33(1): 122-138.
Wei, Wenchi, Nicolai Preovsky, and Xing Ni. 2023. Citizen Blame Attributions for Government Fiscal Crises: Experimental Evidence from China. Governance. First online. doi.org/10.1111/gove.12849
Wei, Wenchi, Wen Xu, and Wenzhao Li. 2023. Patronage, Tournament, and Political Reward: Evidence from the Model County Party Secretary in China. Governance. First online. doi.org/10.1111/gove.12817
Wei, Wenchi, and Xin Chen. 2024. Service Outsourcing and Government Fiscal Conditions: Do Market Competition, Bureaucrat Support, and Management Capacity Matter?. American Review of Public Administration. First online.
Wei, Wenchi, J.S. Butler, and Edward T. Jennings. 2019. The Determinants of Municipal Structures on a Political-Administrative Dimension. American Review of Public Administration 49(2): 189-202.
Wei, Wenchi. 2021. Exploring Local Government Fiscal Slack from a Political-Budgetary-Managerial Framework. Public Management Review 23(10): 1504-1526.
Wei, Wenchi. 2021. State fiscal constraint and local overrides: a regression discontinuity design estimation of the fiscal effects. Public Choice 189(3): 347-373.
Selected research grants:
National Natural Science Foundation of China (CNY 300,000): Budget Fluctuations in Chinese Local Governments: Political Budget Cycle, Fiscal Institutions, and Characteristics of Officials. 01/2022—12/2024.
Beijing Social Science Foundation (CNY 60,000): Operation Mechanisms and Performance of the Administrative Reform “Blowing the Whistle to Report for Duty” in Beijing. 01/2021—12/2022.
Research Foundation of Renmin University of China (CNY 100,000): Determinants of Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers in China. 01/2023—12/2024.
New Faculty Research Initiation Foundation, Renmin University of China ( CNY 50,000): Research on the Influence of Governance Capacity on Government Performance. 02/2020—12/2021.
