ProfessorBaogang He

Baogang He (Ph.D, ANU 1994) is Alfred Deakin Professor at Deakin University, and the Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Professor He is widely known for his work in Chinese politics, in particular the deliberative politics in China as well as in regionalism, international relations, federalism, and multiculturalism in Asia. His publications are found in top journals including Science, British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Peace Research, Political Theory, Political Studies, and Perspectives on Politics. His two papers (“Authoritarian Deliberation: The Deliberative Turn in Chinese Political Development,” co-authored with Mark Warren, and “The Domestic Politics of the Belt and Road Initiative and its Implications”) are on the top 1% of the highly cited research papers in the Web of Sciences as of 11 Feb 2021. His published books include The Democratisation of China, The Democratic Implications of Civil Society in China, Rural Democracy in China, and Governing Taiwan and Tibet. His recent co-authored books include China’s Galaxy Empire: Wealth, Power, War and Peace in the New Chinese Century, John Keane and Baogang He (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024), Comparative Federalism in Asia (Baogang He, Michael Breen and Laura Reumann, Routledge, June 2023). His recent edited books include Australia in World Affairs, 2016–2020: A Return to Great-Power Rivalry, editors: Baogang He, David Hundt, and Danielle Chubb, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024, Deliberative Democracy in Asia, (editors Baogang He, Michael Breen and James Fishkin), Routledge in 2021, and China and North Korea’s Human Rights (editors Baogang He, David Hundt, Chengxin Pan), Routledge, 2021. Professor He has co-translated John Rawls's A Theory of Justice into Chinese (the Chinese translation published in 1988, with He Huanghong and Liao Shenbai).


Professor HE has received numerous awards including Mayer prize by the APSA in 1994, Reagan-Fascell Fellow in 2003, the W. Glenn Campbell and Rita Ricardo-Campbell National Fellow at Hoover Institute in 2008, Alfred Deakin Professorship, the highest honor awarded at Deakin in August 2016, and the Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia in 2019. Professor He has also held several honorary appointments and research fellowships at renowned universities including Stanford University, University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Leiden University, Sussex University and Zurich University.

Currently, Professor He is a board member of Australian Institute for Regional Security, a fellow of Swiss Institute of International Affairs, one of the editors of Australia in World Affairs 2016-2020, a member of the OECD Advisory Group of Evaluating Deliberative Processes, a member of the advisory group of Global Citizen Assembly. Professor He has provided professional services to international organizations including the review of the UN funded program on village elections for the United Nation Development Program (UNDP) in 2001, the review of the township election procedural document for the Danish International Development Agency in November 2003 (The outcomes informed the improvement of the procedures for township elections in August 2004, for example, it led to the abolishment of the education requirements for candidates, and the removal of the final political examinations of candidates held by Party’s personnel organisations), the review of “Promoting Public Participation, Transparency in Policymaking and Civil Society Empowerment in China” project for Asia Foundation in 2010, and the policy brief on the mixed federal institutional design for the United Nation Development Program (UNDP) office in Nepal in 2014.

Baogang He's research work spans several critical areas within political science, focusing particularly on democratic practices, civic engagement, and political developments in China and the broader Asian region. His scholarly contributions include exploring participatory budgeting in China, which analyses different logics at work in civic engagement processes and discussing the challenges and opportunities of implementing participatory governance models in an authoritarian context.

He's research on deliberative democracy highlights the innovative approaches to political participation in China, examining experiments with consultative authoritarian institutions that aim to give the public a voice within the confines of the existing political system. His work on the dilemmas of China's political science in the rise of China context provides insight into the challenges faced by political scientists in the country, navigating between academic rigor and political realities.

He has also delved into the relationship between Confucianism and democracy, proposing four models to understand their interaction and potential compatibility. This work is crucial for understanding the theoretical underpinnings of political ideology and governance practices in Asia, especially in the context of China's unique blend of historical, cultural, and political influences.

Baogang He's comprehensive research contributions are not only significant for their originality in bridging democratic theory with practical applications in non-Western contexts but also for their rigor in combining empirical data with theoretical analysis. His work is essential reading for anyone interested in the complexities of political reform, civic engagement, and the evolving nature of democracy in Asia.

Baogang He's research in international relations notably explores Asian regionalism and the dynamics of Australian foreign policy. He delves into how the ideas of Asia's regional organizations and mechanisms. He's work also critically assesses Australia's foreign policy, particularly its engagement with Asia, examining the intricacies of diplomatic relations, trade, and security cooperation. Through his analyses, Professor He contributes to understanding the evolving landscape of regional politics and Australia's role within it, highlighting challenges and opportunities for collaboration and conflict resolution in the Asia-Pacific.