Zhu

Ling Zhu

Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Houston
Areas of Expertise:
  • Antipoverty Policy
  • Health Care Delivery
  • Health Care Reform

Connect with Ling

(713) 743-2949

About Ling

Zhu’s research interests include health care politics and policy, inequity in access to health care and other forms of social safety net program, comparative social welfare policy, and public health management. Her research in health care politics and policy focuses on the political and policy determinants of social disparities in health and inequality in access to health care. Her research on comparative social welfare policy examines the political economy of welfare generosity of various policy programs. Her research on health care management compares the effectiveness of public, non-profit, and private health care organizations. Zhu offers courses on the politics of inequality and redistribution, social welfare policy, and quantitative policy analysis.

Briefs | Podcast | Publications | In the News

Briefs

American Preferences about Health and Social Programs are Shaped by Intersections of Race, Gender, and Ideology

  • Kenicia Wright
SSN Key Findings,

While California Expands Insurance Coverage, Texas Blocks Health Reform - Despite Greater Needs

  • Markie McBrayer
SSN Basic Facts,

As ObamaCare Proceeds, How Well Do U.S. States Address Inequalities in Health Insurance and Access to Care?

  • Morgen Johansen
SSN Basic Facts,

Podcast

Publications

"Rights without Access" (with Jennifer Hayes Clark). State Policy & Politics Quarterly 15, no. 2 (2015): 239-262.

Explores how partisanship in government affects subnational-level inequality in health care coverage in the context of racial diversity.

"When Social Capital Becomes Political Capital Understanding the Social Contexts of Minority Candidates’ Electoral Success," (with Kenicia Wright), Midwest Political Science Association Conference, 2017.

Asks: “What factors promote the electoral success of minority candidates in state legislatures?” Shifts focus to the determinants of the electoral success of minorities in state legislatures and our findings suggest the stock of social capital owned by racial minorities exclusively benefits the electoral success of minority candidates. 

"Why Do Americans Dislike Publicly Funded Health Care? Examining the Intersection of Race and Gender in the Ideological Context" (with Kenicia Wright). Politics, Groups, and Identities (2015).
Suggests that neither race nor gender independently explains health care attitudes, but that ideology with the intersection between race and gender offers a more comprehensive account of how sub-population groups differ in their attitudes toward the role of government in health care.
"Imported Inequality? Immigration and Income Inequality in the American States" (with Ping Xu and James C. Garand). State Politics & Policy Quarterly (2015).
Explores the effects of immigration on income inequality. Argues that the positive relationship between immigration and state income inequality is driven primarily by low-skill immigrants (rather than high-skill immigrants), and we provide some evidence that high-skill immigrants lower income inequality for some segments of the income distribution.
"Immigration, Globalization, and Unemployment Benefits in Developed EU States" (with Christine Lipsmeyer). American Journal of Political Science 55, no. 3 (2011): 647-664.
Examines the impact of immigration and labor market integration on the generosity of unemployment benefits in developed EU member states.
"Panel Data Analysis in Public Administration: Substantive and Statistical Considerations" Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 23, no. 2 (2013): 395-428.
Provides a synopsis of panel data methods in public administration and public policy.
"School-Based Obesity Policy, Social Capital, and Gender Differences in Weight Control Behaviors" (with Breanca Thomas). American Journal of Public Health 103, no. 6 (2013): 1067-1073.
Examines how social capital and school-based obesity policy interactively affect gender differences in children’s weight-control behaviors.
"Market Competition, Political Constraints, and Managerial Practice in Public, Nonprofit and Private American Hospitals" (with Morgen Johansen). Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (2013).
Examines how market competition and political constraints are associated with the cross-sector difference in health management.

In the News

"Inequality in Health Care Persists at the State Level, Especially in Red States with Diverse Populations," Ling Zhu (with Jennifer Hayes Clark), London School of Economics U.S. Politics and Policy Blog, May 7, 2015.
"Clinton Shifts Stance on Health Care for Undocumented Immigrants," Ling Zhu, Free Press, October 15, 2015.
"How Immigration Makes Income Inequality Worse in the U.S.," Ling Zhu (with Ping Xu and James C. Garand), LSE American Politics & Policy Blog, October 14, 2015.
"Medicaid Obstruction is Still Hurting America - Especially Texas," Ling Zhu (with Representative Sheila Jackson Lee), Talking Points Memo Café, July 11, 2014.
Ling Zhu's research on the contrast between Texas and California's health care (with Markie McBrayer) discussed in Michael Tomasky. Ling Zhu, "Texas: Where Crazy Gets Elected," The Daily Beast, February 26, 2014.
"Market Competition May Not Reduce Costs or Lead to Greater Efficiency in Hospitals," Ling Zhu (with Morgen Johansen), London School of Economics Blog, January 30, 2014.