Summer 2022 King Center research project, "Bureaucracy and Development"
The King Center on Global Development's Summer Undergraduate Full-time Research Assistant Program offers opportunities for fieldwork and research experience to Stanford undergraduates interested in global poverty and development across disciplines.
When Stanford University travel policies allow, selected students spend up to 12 weeks in a low- or middle-income country conducting full-time research for a King Center faculty affiliate. Each research assistant receives a stipend of $7,500 that covers most associated costs including travel, lodging, and incidental expenses. Should travel not be permitted and the research conducted remotely, the base stipend will be $5,500. Financial aid of up to $1,500 is also awarded to students who qualify.
Students are welcome to apply to multiple opportunities but must apply to each faculty research project separately. This program is only open to matriculated Stanford undergraduates.
***Update: All previous SOLO technical issues should now be resolved so please submit through this platform: The deadline has been extended to Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 11:59pm.
If you are still having problems submitting your application, please report a bug through the SOLO platform with a screenshot that includes the URL and the full page. And please email CorinneThomas@stanford.edu to also let her know.
Project Description:
This project aims to examine the role of local governments and local officials in economic development and public goods provision in a specific administrative jurisdiction (a county, or a township). The student researcher is expected to find a locality (a county, a district) and a specific topic, and conduct fieldwork on how local officials work and coordinate to accomplish a specific task or policy goals. The data collection process may involve interviews (with officials, those affected by the policies or government behaviors), observations of the actual processes, and literature research (in Chinese).
Fieldwork experience and access to research sites are critical for carrying out this project but should travel not be permitted for undergraduate students, a remote option will be available.
The faculty mentor is Xueguang Zhou, Department of Sociology.
Location: China or remote should travel not be permitted.
Dates: A minimum of ten consecutive weeks during summer quarter 2022.
- Find a locality (a county, a district) and a specific topic, and conduct fieldwork on how local officials work and coordinate to accomplish a specific task or policy goals.
- Data collection which may involve interviews (with officials, those affected by the policies or government behaviors).
- Observations of the actual processes.
- Literature research (in Chinese).
- Stanford undergraduate students in good academic standing are eligible to apply
- All majors are welcome
- All research assistants are required to work full time, i.e., 35-40 hours per week for a minimum of 10 consecutive weeks during the summer quarter
- Resesarch will likely be conducted remotely pending travel permissions regarding the pandemic.
- Must be able to speak native Chinese in order to conduct interviews.
- Must be able to read Chinese literature.
