Jessica Teets
Office
Voter Hall 107
Tel
(802) 443-5528
Email
jteets@middlebury.edu
Office Hours
On Leave Spring 2023
Additional Programs
International Politics and Economics Political Science

Jessica C. Teets is a Professor at Middlebury College, and Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Chinese Political Science.  Her research focuses on governance in authoritarian regimes, especially the role of civic participation.  She is the author of Civil Society Under Authoritarianism: The China Model (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and editor (with William Hurst) of Local Governance Innovation in China: Experimentation, Diffusion, and Defiance (Routledge Contemporary China Series, 2014), in addition to articles published in The China Quarterly, World Politics, Governance, and the Journal of Contemporary China.  Dr. Teets is currently working on a new book manuscript (with Dr. Xiang Gao) on changing governance under Xi Jinping, and a forthcoming edited volume (with University of Michigan Press) developing a theory of how to lobby dictators (with Dr. Max Grömping).

 

Courses Taught

Course Description

East Asian Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)

Terms Taught

Fall 2019, Winter 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024

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Course Description

Independent Project
(Approval Required)

Terms Taught

Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024

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Course Description

Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)

Terms Taught

Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Winter 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024

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Course Description

Qualitative Methods in Political Science
This seminar offers a broad introduction to qualitative methodology with a focus on comparative methods for the analysis of a relatively small number of cases (small-n). This course will enable students to create and critique qualitative research designs in political science. The course focuses on recent methodological writings and includes several substantive examples from various subfields. Topics covered include causal inference, case studies, cross-case comparison, typological theory, case selection, process tracing, counterfactual analysis, and set theory. We will also discuss approaches to multi-method research and the use of mixed methods in political science. 3 hrs. lect. (Methods)/

Terms Taught

Fall 2022

Requirements

DED

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Course Description

Contemporary Chinese Politics
This introductory course provides students with a background in how the party-state political system functions, and then investigates the major political issues in China today. We will focus first on economic reform issues, such as income inequality, the floating population, and changes in the socialist welfare model, and then on political reform issues, such as the liberalization of news media, NGO and civil society activity, protest and social movements, environmental protection, and legal reform. China is a quickly changing country, so students will focus on analyzing current events but also have an opportunity to explore a topic of interest in more detail. 3 hrs. lect./disc. Comparative Politics

Terms Taught

Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Fall 2023

Requirements

NOA, SOC

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Course Description

Authoritarian Politics
The purpose of this course is to examine the characteristics and dynamics of non-democratic regimes. First, we will define autocracy and consider different forms of authoritarianism and how their leaders come into power. Next, we will investigate why some authoritarian regimes are able to sustain their rule while others collapse. Finally, we will explore how citizens of these regimes bolster, comply with, or revolt against their governments. Throughout the course, adopting a comparative standpoint, we will draw on various country cases. (Comparative Politics)/

Terms Taught

Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021

Requirements

CMP, CW, SOC

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Course Description

Comparative Development Strategies
In this course we will explore the topic of development by first analyzing different understandings ranging from improvements in human welfare to economic growth, and then asking why some countries have developed more rapidly than others? Additionally, students will explore the role that governments play in development, such as corruption, patronage, and industrial policy. How can governments help or hinder development prospects? We will address these broad questions by comparatively analyzing the development experiences of Asian, Latin American, and African countries. 3 hrs. lect./disc. (Comparative Politics)/

Terms Taught

Spring 2019

Requirements

CMP, SOC

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Course Description

Chinese Political Economy
Over the past 30 years China has undergone a tremendous transition. The purpose of this course is to consider the extent to which China's experience has challenged theories of market reform. First, we will examine the role of the state in Chinese economic development and market systems more broadly. Second, we will analyze challenges in Chinese state-society relations, from public service provision to protest, that have emerged after such rapid economic growth. Finally, we will discuss the political implications of the Chinese state's responses to these issues in terms of authoritarian durability and governance. 3 hrs. sem. (Comparative Politics)/

Terms Taught

Spring 2022, Fall 2023

Requirements

AAL, NOA, SOC

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Course Description

Independent Projects
A program of independent work designed to meet the individual needs of advanced students. (Approval required)

Terms Taught

Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Winter 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024

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Course Description

Honors Thesis
(Approval required)

Terms Taught

Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Winter 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024

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Course Description

Social Change to Address Systemic Challenges*
In this course we will examine different methods to enact social change around systemic challenges such as climate, poverty, and racism. We will evaluate lobbying, protest, public opinion campaigns, psychology of communication outreach, training seminars, behavioral nudges, etc., to determine when and how these efforts are successful. Through this process we will wrestle with the current debate on how to coordinate and scale individual efforts to realize durable, large-scale change. In addition to the course content, students will advance a social change project (in groups) with instructor mentoring. This effort will be digitally based and supported by skill-building workshops from experts and mentors (instructor's approval needed for registration). (Pass/Fail)

Terms Taught

Winter 2021

Requirements

SOC, WTR

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Publications

Hsu, Carolyn L., Jessica C. Teets, Reza Hasmath, Jennifer YJ Hsu, and Timothy Hildebrandt. “The Construction and Performance of Citizenship in Contemporary China.” Journal of Contemporary China 32 (138). 2022: 1-17.

Hasmath, Reza, Timothy Hildebrandt, Jessica C. Teets, Jennifer YJ Hsu, and Carolyn L. Hsu. “Citizens’ Expectations for Crisis Management and the Involvement of Civil Society Organisations in China.” Journal of Current Chinese Affairs 51(2). 2022:292-312.

Lewis, Orion, Jessica C. Teets, and Reza Hasmath. “Exploring Political Personalities: The Micro-Foundation of Local Policy Innovation in China.” Governance 35 (1). 2022: 103-122.

Teets, Jessica C., Reza Hasmath, Timothy Hildebrandt, Carolyn L. Hsu, and Jennifer YJ Hsu. “Volunteerism and Democratic Learning in an Authoritarian State: the Case of China.” Democratization 29 (5). 2022: 879-898.

Teets, Jessica, Michael Gao, Mika Wysocki, and Weiru Ye. “The Promise of “Payment for Ecosystem Services”: An Analysis of Watershed Eco-Compensation Policy Design in China.” Environmental Policy and Governance 31 (6). 2021: 580-591.

Teets, Jessica and Nele Noesselt. “The State of the Field for Governance and Policy Innovation in China.” Journal of Chinese Governance 5 (4). 2020: 413-8. Special issue: Policy Innovation and Governance in China. Guest Editors: Jessica Teets and Nele Noesselt.

Teets, Jessica and Reza Hasmath. “Evolution of Policy Experimentation in China.” Journal of Asian Public Policy 13 (1). Special Issue on Policy Entrepreneurship in Asia. 2020.

Gao, Xiang and Jessica C. Teets. “Civil Society Organizations in China: Navigating the Local Government for More Inclusive Environmental Governance.” China Information 35 (1). 2020.