Hongchuan Wang is an Associate Professor at the School of Public Policy and Management and an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute for Contemporary China Studies, Tsinghua University. He has been selected for a national-level young talent program in China (formerly the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars).
His research focuses on organization and governance, health policy and healthcare governance, digital governance and artificial intelligence, and public services. His recent work examines how organizational structures, institutional arrangements, incentives, and emerging digital technologies shape public service delivery and healthcare governance, with particular attention to system reform, coordination across sectors, and the organizational implications of artificial intelligence.
He was a visiting doctoral student at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He has also held academic appointments or visiting positions at University College London, the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington, KU Leuven, and the University of Tokyo.
Dr. Wang has led more than ten research projects funded by national and provincial-level research programs, including projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). He has also led more than twenty policy research projects commissioned by central government ministries and agencies, including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Commerce, and the National Health Commission.
He has published more than 60 academic articles in journals including The Lancet Public Health, World Development, Governance, Social Science & Medicine, Social Indicators Research, and Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, as well as leading Chinese academic journals.
In addition to academic research, Dr. Wang has produced more than 80 policy and think-tank reports. More than 30 of these reports have been adopted by central government agencies, and several have received instructions or comments from senior national leaders. His policy research has contributed to national planning and policymaking in areas including healthcare reform, public services, education, social development, and digital governance.
Research Interests
· Organization and Governance
· Health Policy and Healthcare Governance
· Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence
· Public Service and Social Policy
· Development Planning and Policy
Teaching
· Organization Theory I
· Public Economics
· China’s Economic Development and Policies
Dr. Wang also teaches university-wide undergraduate and graduate courses on China’s current affairs, public policy, and the practice.
Awards and Honors
· National-Level Young Talent Program (formerly the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars)
· Award for Outstanding Research Achievements in Humanities and Social Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, 10th Edition
· National Award for Outstanding Achievements in Educational Research, 6th Edition
· CNKI Highly Cited Scholar, Top 1%, 2024 and 2025
Selected Publications
International Journal Articles
Chan, K. N., Wang, H.*, & Lam, W. F. (2026). Political leadership, preference disclosure, and regulatory behavior: China’s film regulation in the information processing perspective. Journal of Public Policy.
Cai, J., Wang, H.*, & Zheng, Z. (2026). Bridging public engagement and policy mechanisms: How citizen-generated data shapes environmental policy design. Public Performance & Management Review.
Wang, H., & Xu, K.* (2025). How city shrinkage affect public service provision for disadvantaged groups? Evidence from China. World Development, 186, 106823.
Wang, H., & Chen, Q.* (2025). Strategic heterogeneity: The impact of stakeholders on local government resource allocation in China. Journal of Asian Public Policy.
Chen, Q., Wang, H., Ma, C., & Ru, P. (2025). How professionals respond to the disruptive effects of artificial intelligence on their jurisdiction: The role of interactive governance. Social Science & Medicine, 386, 118626.
Wang, H., Chen, J., & Xu, K.* (2024). Spatial distribution and territorial justice of public service for disadvantaged groups: Evidence from China. Social Indicators Research, 172(2), 741–763.
Wang, H., Chen, Z.*, Xu, K., & Liang, W. (2024). Effectiveness of targeted financial aid on disability welfare for aging population in China: A quasi-experiment study. Journal of Global Health, 14, 04222.
Xu, K., Wang, H.*, Mei, K., et al. (2024). Distribution justice and regional equity of urban public transport services: Evidence from China. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 126, 104033.
Wang, H., Xu, K.*, Fang, H., Lin, H., & Zeng, H. (2024). Will urban scale affect health services inequity? Empirical evidence from cities in China. Frontiers in Public Health.
Li, Z., Wang, H.*, Chen, S., Kong, Y., et al. (2023). The association between a disability-targeted cash-transfer programme and disability status, healthcare access, and equity implications: A quasi-experimental study. The Lancet Public Health, 8(12), e933–e942.
Wang, H., Chen, Z., Li, Z., He, X., & Subramanian, S. V. (2024). How economic development affects healthcare access for people with disabilities: A multilevel study in China. SSM – Population Health, 25, 101594.
Nie, L., & Wang, H.* (2023). Government responsiveness and citizen satisfaction: Evidence from environmental governance. Governance, 36(4), 1125–1146.
Wang, H., Li, Z., Chen, S., Qin, W., et al. (2023). The effect of a disability-targeted cash transfer program on universal health coverage and universal access to education: A nationwide cohort study of Chinese children and adolescents with disabilities. The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, 31.
Zhao, X., & Wang, H.* (2021). Disparities in unmet health service needs among people with disabilities in China. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 33(4), 1–7.
Wang, H., & Lim, G. (2021). Catching-up in the semiconductor industry: Comparing the Chinese and Malaysian experience. Asian Journal of Technology Innovation.
Selected Chinese Publications
Liang, W., & Wang, H. (2026). Promoting coordinated development and governance of healthcare, medical insurance, and pharmaceuticals. Qiushi, No. 15.
Wang, H., & Hu, A. (2021). Building China into a leading country in education: Strategic trends and pathways based on the Seventh National Population Census. Educational Research, No. 11.
Wang, H. (2021). Pathways toward modernization of China’s national public service system. Economist, No. 1.
Wang, H., Qi, Y., & Hou, Y. (2023). Smart co-production: How digital technologies reshape rural public service governance. E-Government, No. 7.
Zhou, S., Wang, H., & Su, Y. (2015). How can Chinese people achieve a higher level of well-being? Evidence from the China Livelihood Index Survey. Management World, No. 6.
Books and Book Chapters
Wang, H. (2025). Implementing the Health-Priority Development Strategy: Theoretical Foundations and Pathways. In China Healthcare Reform Development Report (2025). Social Sciences Academic Press.
Wang, H. et al. (2024). The Road to a Strong Nation: Innovative Development of Chinese Modernization. Tsinghua University Press.
Wang, H. (2020). Education Modernization and National Competitiveness. Zhejiang Education Publishing House. Selected for China’s 13th Five-Year Plan for Key Publications.
Wang, H. (2024). City population decline and public service equity: Evidence from China. In Building a Fair Society: The Global Role of Public Management in Achieving Social Equity. Routledge.
Selected Research Projects
National Science Fund for Young Scholars (Category B), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Public Service Management and Policy, Principal Investigator, 2026–2028.
General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Resource Allocation Effects and Smart Adjustment Mechanisms in Public Service Networks, Principal Investigator, 2023–2026.
National Science Fund for Young Scholars (Category C), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Allocation of Governance Authority and Perceived Performance Management in Public Services: Evidence from Natural Experiments across Multiple Policy Domains, Principal Investigator, 2020–2022.
Major Project, National Social Science Fund of China
Policy Innovation for Coordinated Development and Governance of Healthcare, Medical Insurance, and Pharmaceuticals, Executive Coordinator and Subproject Principal Investigator, 2024–present.
Key Project, Beijing Social Science Fund
Improving Beijing’s Healthcare Service System through Digital and Intelligent Technologies, Principal Investigator, 2024–2025.
Major Policy Research Project, National Health Commission
Institutional Systems and Major Policy Measures for Investing in People in the Health Sector, Principal Investigator, 2026.
Major Policy Research Project, National Health Commission
Health and Common Prosperity: Theoretical Relationships and Policy Pathways, Principal Investigator, 2025–2026.
Policy Research Project, National Health Commission
Health Governance and Coordinated Development of Healthcare, Medical Insurance, and Pharmaceuticals during the 15th Five-Year Plan Period, Principal Investigator, 2025–2026.
Major Research Project, National Development and Reform Commission
Deepening Healthcare System Reform during the 15th Five-Year Plan Period, Executive Coordinator, 2024.
Major Research Project, National Disease Control and Prevention Administration
Building a Collaborative Governance System for Disease Prevention and Control in the Post-Pandemic Era, Executive Coordinator, 2024–2025.
