Invitation to Collaborate
Welcome to the Organization of Power Lab!
- Lab Introduction – Slides
- Lab Introduction – Video
We study political organization in democratic party politics of South Korea and Taiwan. We also study elite power networks in the authoritarian regimes of North Korea and Kazakhstan. The main idea of our lab is that power is not only found in formal institutions or informal networks, but a fusion of the two. But studying organizations and networks requires collecting a CRAZY amount of data. Over time, my research assistants have collected a TON of data – more than we could ever use by ourselves.
I would like to invite you to join the lab, use our data, and co-author a paper with me on a research topic of your choice. Writing research papers may seem new and difficult. It involves manipulating data, reviewing literature and writing. You have already learned some of these skills in your coursework. If you join the Organization of Power Lab, I will train you how to put these skills together, to actually complete a paper. Students formerly in my lab (in Taiwan and Kazakhstan) have gone on study MS in data science in Europe, PhD in political science in the US, and get data science and finance jobs at firms like PwC.
Two-Paper Model
Our first paper together will probably take one semester, and will probably be an empirical study, which we can submit to a social science journal in Taiwan (TSSCI-indexed journal). You may want to present this paper at an academic conference next year. If you need to write a research paper for a class, you may also be able to use this paper as a semester project or term paper. (Of course, we should confirm this is okay with your course instructor.)
If you enjoy the experience, and want to continue, then the next semester we can expand your first paper into a second, theoretical paper, which we can send to an international social science journal (SSCI-indexed journal). Ideally, you would present this paper at an international conference.
What are the Benefits?
At present, my research funds only cover my current research assistants. By fall 2025, I may have more research funds, but right now I cannot promise you a paid research assistantship. So what are the benefits of joining the lab and co-authoring a research paper?
- Gain practical research experience, which you can add to your resume.
- Learn data wrangling in Python Pandas, statistical modeling and data visualization in R.
- Present research in an academic conference.
- Build life-long friendships with other researchers in the lab.
- Have my advice, support and letters of recommendation when applying for graduate school and/or jobs in industry.
You can see all of our primary data, covariates and research ideas on the following menus:
If you check out the Table of Contents below, you will see four items: Data, Covariates, Research Questions and Examples of Research Papers. The Data section includes our core data sets, which my research assistants and I have collected and coded. The Covariates section includes some specific measures which we can add or create from our data. Covariates are often used as controls, but also as interesting causal factors. The Research Questions sections lists possible outcomes that you could study using our data. I have divided these into three types: RQ1 – career outcomes for individual politicians, RQ2 – organizational outcomes for political parties and other political institutions, and RQ3 – effects of political organization on political, economic and social outcomes, such as public administration, regional development. Unless you have a strong interest in RQ2 or RQ3 topics, I recommend focusing on RQ1 topics as these will be the easiest and fastest papers to write. The last section, Examples of Research Papers, links a covariate to an RQ1 topic. You can choose a research paper from among these. Or you can create your own research paper, by choosing any RQ and linking it to an interesting covariate. You will notice all items on the menu relate to South Korea and Taiwan. If you are interested in authoritarian elites in North Korea or Kazakshtan, we can discuss that possibility in person.
How can I start?
If you are interested in joining the lab and co-authoring a paper, all you need to do is send me an email at reidhead@g.nccu.edu.tw. We will set up a time to meet and talk about your research interests, long-term career goals and your schedule this upcoming academic year. I welcome you to the Organization of Power Lab and look forward to speaking with you soon!