Ya-Wen Lei

Professor of Sociology, Harvard University

I study the intersections of technology, law, society, and political economy. My research examines how state power, market forces, and technological change interact to reshape work, governance, and public life—from China's digital economy to the global politics of critical industries.

Ya-Wen Lei

About

I am Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology at Harvard University. I am also affiliated with several centers at Harvard, including the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, and the Asia Center.

I was born and raised in Taiwan. My academic background bridges law and sociology—I hold an LLM and a JSD from Yale Law School, as well as a PhD in Sociology from the University of Michigan. Following my graduation from Michigan in 2013, I served as a Junior Fellow at the Society of Fellows at Harvard University from 2013 to 2016. In academic year 2018–2019, I was a visiting professor at Sciences Po in France.

My research spans political sociology, the sociology of media and information technologies, law and society, the sociology of work and labor, development, economic sociology, science and technology studies, and China studies, with a primary emphasis on qualitative and comparative methods. I am currently working on projects related to the semiconductor industry and a new phase of globalization, the platform economy, and the application of AI at work.

Position
Professor of Sociology
Institution
Harvard University
Education
PhD, University of Michigan
LLM & JSD, Yale Law School
Email
yawenlei@fas.harvard.edu
Research Areas
Political Sociology, Technology & Society, Law & Society, Economic Sociology, Work & Labor, China Studies

Books

The Gilded Cage book cover

The Gilded Cage: Technology, Development, and State Capitalism in China

Princeton University Press, 2023

2025 Alice Amsden Award, Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE)
Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year 2024 in Global Economics
Bronze Medal, 2024 Axiom Business Book Award, International Business/Globalization
2024 Max Weber Book Award, OOW Section, ASA (Honorable Mention)
2024 Asia/Transnational Book Award, AAAS Section, ASA
2024 Best Book Award, CITAMS Section, ASA
2024 Robert K. Merton Book Award, SKAT Section, ASA
2024 Walter Channing Cabot Fellowship, Harvard FAS
The Contentious Public Sphere book cover

The Contentious Public Sphere: Law, Media, and Authoritarian Rule in China

Princeton University Press, 2018

2018 Distinguished Book Award, Sociology of Law Section, ASA
2018 Gordon Hirabayashi Human Rights Book Award, Human Rights Section, ASA
2014 ASA Best Dissertation Award

Selected Articles

Journal articles and book chapters

Co-Producing Surveillance: Technology, Law, and State–Society Relations in Asia

Automation and Augmentation: AI, Robots, and Work

Jürgen Habermas's A New Structural Transformation | The Decay of the Public Sphere and the Crisis of Liberal Democracy

Upgrading China through Automation: Manufacturers, Workers and the Techno-Developmental State

Delivering Solidarity: Platform Architecture and Collective Contention in China's Platform Economy

✶ 2021 Best Paper, CITAMS/ASA ✶ 2022 Distinguished Article, CBSM/ASA ✶ 2022 W. Richard Scott Award (HM)

Publics, Scientists, and the State: Mapping the Global Human Genome Editing Controversy

✶ 2021 Gordon White Prize

Revisiting China's Social Volcano: Attitudes toward Inequality and Political Trust in China

Freeing the Press: How Field Environment Explains Critical News Reporting in China

✶ 2017 Best Research Paper, AAAS/ASA

Contesting Legality in Authoritarian Contexts: Food Safety, Rule of Law and China's Networked Public Sphere

The Political Consequences of the Rise of the Internet: Political Beliefs and Practices of Chinese Netizens

Teaching, Advising & Mentoring

Since 2016, I have had the privilege of advising and mentoring approximately thirty individuals from diverse backgrounds, including PhD students in the Department of Sociology, LLM and SJD students at Harvard Law School, Masters students in the Regional Studies East Asia Program, undergraduates, and postdoctoral fellows at the Fairbank Center.

I am passionate about working with students interested in exploring the intersection between technology, law, society, economy, and politics.

Soc 141
Contemporary Chinese Society
Undergraduate & Graduate
Soc 182
Law and Society
Undergraduate
Soc 98LA
Junior Tutorial: Media, Society, and Social Change
Undergraduate
Soc 2209
Qualitative Social Analysis
Graduate
Soc 3317
Culture, History, and Society Workshop
Graduate (co-taught with Prof. Orlando Patterson)
2021 George Kahrl Award in Sociology — for outstanding contributions to undergraduate instruction, based on feedback from undergraduate sociology concentrators.

Contact

I welcome inquiries about research collaborations, speaking invitations, and prospective student advising. Feel free to reach out.