Welcome to Linghui Han's homepage! 

My research interests center on the political economy of development and demography. 

My dissertation examines the relationship between industrial organization and institutional change. Specifically, I explore how modern scalable technology creates institutional evolutionary paths from natural states to open access order with rule of law that differ markedly from historical contexts characterized by gradual technological change with smaller-scale effects.

My future research will investigate states, firms, and families as core organizational forms of society. It will focus on how social norms—particularly cultural and religious factors—shape these institutions and influence the emergence of the rule of law that enabled the transition from premodern to modern societies. Examining how religious beliefs and social norms generate collective versus individualistic orientations is key to understanding regional variation in family structures, which, as foundational social units, shape higher-order organizations such as firms and states with differing balances of limited and unlimited liability.

I welcome discussions with scholars who share similar research interests about potential collaborations to develop this rich research agenda.

Contact

Email: hanlinghui92@gmail.com / drdpr6@jmu.edu

Campus address: 

Department of Economics, James Madison University

421 Bluestone Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22807