Haifeng Huang

I'm teaching a few survey research courses live and online.
First, a free one hour seminar. Feb 20
instats.org/seminar/surv...
Then a set of two (half) day courses. Not free (sorry!).
-Intro Surveys (Feb 26-27):
instats.org/seminar/intr...
-Advanced Surveys (March 5-6):
instats.org/seminar/adva...

We’re organizing a workshop at Aarhus University. Please share and consider submitting!

🗓️ 13–14 April 2026 | 📝 Deadline: Mon, 16 Feb 2026 (extended abstract) — junior scholars prioritized

🎤 Keynotes: @stefwalter.bsky.social (Univ. of Zurich) & @hhuang.bsky.social (Ohio State)

Policy-wise, accurately understanding one's global reputation and influence is essential, even when foreign opinions may contain bias. This clarity is essential both for meaningful image improvement and for avoiding overconfidence that can impede a nation's "peaceful rise."

While many studies examine individual overconfidence in psychology and economics, and leader overconfidence in IR, this research investigates national overconfidence (about a country's performance and standing) and the correctability of such overconfidence, both new contributions to the literature.

Being informed of China's global image also increases citizens' awareness of what issues foreign publics consider regarding China and of the salience of China's negative aspects.

The information treatments have particularly large effects on factual perceptions of China's global reputation, extending even to new questions not directly addressed in the original corrections. These effects appear broad and genuine rather than mechanical.

Critically, informing Chinese citizens of actual international public opinion about China changes their evaluations of the country, its governing system, and their expectations for its global role. These effects from simple corrections are durable for at least 2-4 weeks.

Using two studies in China during the COVID-19 pandemic and a post-pandemic study of Chinese students in the U.S., I find that the Chinese public overwhelmingly and systematically overestimates China's global reputation and soft power compared to international polls, even during a national crisis.

How do people in a rising power view their country's global standing? My new paper in @iojournal.bsky.social finds significant national overconfidence in China—and shows that factual misperceptions can be corrected and triumphalism mitigated #Overconfidence #NationalImage #Correction #厉害了我的国 #大不自多

#OpenAccess from @iojournal.bsky.social -

Reckoning with Reality: Correcting National Overconfidence in a Rising Power - https://cup.org/3LQ3LIZ

- @hhuang.bsky.social

#FirstView

If it makes you feel any better, I left my keys in my Vancouver APSA hotel. I paid to have them shipped to me.

Using two studies conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic and an additional post-pandemic study, I show that the Chinese public widely and significantly overestimates China's global reputation and soft power (as compared to actual global polls), even during a national crisis.

Laws and authority A law prohibiting a particular behavior does not directly change the payoff to an individual should he engage in the prohibited behavior. Rather, any …

An under-rated and under-cited paper in the same spirit: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

When will you be in HZ？

Thanks, Christian.

Congrats to SAIS!

Electoral Competition When Some Candidates Lie and Others Pander - Haifeng Huang, 2010 In this paper we analyze a two-candidate electoral competition in which a candidate can either lie about his private policy preference in order to get elected, ...

This article of mine has a brief review of the formal literature on the issue: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... (shameless self-promotion). There might be a newer literature on valence that's also relevant.

Electoral Competition When Some Candidates Lie and Others Pander - Haifeng Huang, 2010 In this paper we analyze a two-candidate electoral competition in which a candidate can either lie about his private policy preference in order to get elected, ...

This article of mine has a brief review of the formal literature on the issue: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/... (shameless self-promotion). There might be a newer literature on valence that's also relevant.