My research interests are broadly focused on political sociology, sociology of organization, political economy and policy-relevant research. I am particularly interested in using quantitative methods to examine the power dynamics underlying different social settings, including organizations, networks, and global society. Specifically, I have been working on the following three lines of research:

Power Dynamics Underlying NGO Governance in China 

My new book is a quantitative study of the dynamics of power underlying the governance of organizations. Using the case of philanthropic foundations in authoritarian China, I establish a multi-level framework for analyzing NGO governance based on power dynamics at the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels.

Book:

Qian Wei. 2022. The Governance of Philanthropic Foundations in Authoritarian China: A Power Perspective. London: Routledge (Link)

Articles: 

Qian Wei. 2019. “CEO Power and Nonprofit Financial Performance: Evidence from Chinese Foundations.” VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. Abstract Available Here

Qian Wei. 2017. “From Direct Involvement to Indirect Control? A Multilevel Analysis of Factors Influencing Chinese Foundations’ Capacity for Resource Mobilization.” VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. Abstract Available Here

Civil Society, Civic Participation and Human Rights

My current project at Stanford adopts an organizational approach to examine civic participation and its impact on local communities in multiple cities worldwide. This stream of research also investigates human rights decoupling in developing countries from the World Society perspective and the implication of civic engagement for democratization in the authoritarian context of China.

Articles:

Qian Wei and Liam Swiss. 2020. “Filling Empty Promises? Foreign Aid and Human Rights Decoupling, 1981 to 2011” (First Author). The Sociological Quarterly. Abstract Available Here

Articles in Progress:

Yi Zhao, Qian Wei, Walter W. Powell. Associational life, Civic Culture and Democracy. 

Qian Wei, Reza Hasmath. Getting Rich but Not Giving: How to Understand the Giving Puzzle in China.

Gender Inequalities in Scientific Collaborative Networks

The third line of my research focuses on gender inequalities and power dynamics underlying scientific collaboration networks in Canada. 

Report:

Qian Wei, Francois Lachapelle, Sylvia Fuller, Catherine Corrigall-Brown, Diane S. Srivastava. 2020. “Working Groups, Gender and Publication Impact of Canada’s Ecology and Evolution Faculty” (First Author). Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution. Full Report Available Here

Preprint Article:

Qian Wei, Francois Lachapelle, Sylvia Fuller, Catherine Corrigall-Brown, Diane S. Srivastava. 2020. “Working Groups, Gender and Publication Impact of Canada’s Ecology and Evolution Faculty” (First Author). BioRxiv. Full Article Available Here

My research interests are broadly focused on political sociology, sociology of organization, political economy and policy-relevant research. I am particularly interested in using quantitative methods to examine the power dynamics underlying different social settings, including organizations, networks, and global society. Specifically, I have been working on the following three lines of research:

Power Dynamics Underlying NGO Governance in China 

My new book is a quantitative study of the dynamics of power underlying the governance of organizations. Using the case of philanthropic foundations in authoritarian China, I establish a multi-level framework for analyzing NGO governance based on power dynamics at the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels.

Book:

Qian Wei. 2022. The Governance of Philanthropic Foundations in Authoritarian China: A Power Perspective. London: Routledge (Link)

Articles: 

Qian Wei. 2019. “CEO Power and Nonprofit Financial Performance: Evidence from Chinese Foundations.” VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. Abstract Available Here

Qian Wei. 2017. “From Direct Involvement to Indirect Control? A Multilevel Analysis of Factors Influencing Chinese Foundations’ Capacity for Resource Mobilization.” VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. Abstract Available Here

Civil Society, Civic Participation and Human Rights

My current project at Stanford adopts an organizational approach to examine civic participation and its impact on local communities in multiple cities worldwide. This stream of research also investigates human rights decoupling in developing countries from the World Society perspective and the implication of civic engagement for democratization in the authoritarian context of China.

Articles:

Qian Wei and Liam Swiss. 2020. “Filling Empty Promises? Foreign Aid and Human Rights Decoupling, 1981 to 2011” (First Author). The Sociological Quarterly. Abstract Available Here

Articles in Progress:

Yi Zhao, Qian Wei, Walter W. Powell. Associational life, Civic Culture and Democracy. 

Qian Wei, Reza Hasmath. Getting Rich but Not Giving: How to Understand the Giving Puzzle in China.

Gender Inequalities in Scientific Collaborative Networks

The third line of my research focuses on gender inequalities and power dynamics underlying scientific collaboration networks in Canada. 

Report:

Qian Wei, Francois Lachapelle, Sylvia Fuller, Catherine Corrigall-Brown, Diane S. Srivastava. 2020. “Working Groups, Gender and Publication Impact of Canada’s Ecology and Evolution Faculty” (First Author). Canadian Institute of Ecology and Evolution. Full Report Available Here

Preprint Article:

Qian Wei, Francois Lachapelle, Sylvia Fuller, Catherine Corrigall-Brown, Diane S. Srivastava. 2020. “Working Groups, Gender and Publication Impact of Canada’s Ecology and Evolution Faculty” (First Author). BioRxiv. Full Article Available Here