TingLi Qu Ph.D. Candidate
School of Public Affairs
American University
About Me
Hello! My name is Tingli Qu (she/her/hers). I am currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Public Administration and Policy at the School of Public Affairs, American University.
Prior to my doctoral studies, I earned both my M.P.A. and B.A. in Public Administration from Sun Yat-Sen University.
My research centers on local public finance, fiscal strategies and behaviors, fiscal tools, intergovernmental relations, and interlocal collaboration. I examine how local governments use fiscal tools and collaborative arrangements to strengthen fiscal and administrative capacity and to navigate policy challenges and external shocks.
Methodologically, I specialize in advanced quantitative analysis—including panel data econometrics, spatial econometrics, and social network analysis—complemented by qualitative approaches.
My dissertation investigates how local fiscal strategies, disaster exposure, and interlocal collaboration shape fiscal performance and resilience, drawing on large-scale original datasets of Massachusetts municipalities and Iowa and Nebraska counties.
Research Interests
- Public Finance
- Fiscal Tools
- Fiscal Strategies and Behaviors
- State and Local Government
- Intergovernmental Relations
- Interlocal Collaboration
Teaching Interests
- Public Budgeting and Finance
- Intro to Public Administration
- Cost-benefit Analysis
- Statistics
- Intergovernmental Relations