I am an Associate Professor of Political Science at Singapore Management University. I research politics, rural development, and poverty — in China and beyond — having conducted extensive fieldwork in rural China, India, and Thailand, as well as in Singapore.
Over nearly two decades I have authored or co-authored work on poverty reduction, economic growth in China, the transformation of agrarian systems, central–provincial relations, and unmet social needs in Singapore. My first book, Small Works: Poverty and Economic Development in Southwestern China (Cornell University Press, 2011), drew on Guizhou fieldwork to ask why some local governments reduce poverty faster than others. The work I am doing now — including a book in progress, Small Steps — extends that question well beyond China.
Education
- Ph.D., Political Science — The George Washington University, 2005
- B.A., Chinese Language and Literature, and Psychology — Washington University in St. Louis, 1991
Research areas
- Poverty
- Development
- Agrarian change
- Chinese politics
- Central–local government relations
- Singapore's economic development
Academic positions
- 2012–present — Associate Professor, Singapore Management University
- 2014–2016 — Senior Research Fellow, Lien Centre for Social Innovation
- Jan 2013 – Dec 2014 — Associate Dean, School of Social Sciences, SMU
- Jun–Dec 2012 — Visiting Research Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
- 2005–2012 — Assistant Professor, Singapore Management University
Selected honors & awards
- 2025 — SoSS/SMU Teaching Award — Highest Overall Score, Required Major Course
- 2022–2025 — Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 2 Grant
- 2018 — National Heritage Board Research Fund
- 2015–2016 — Lee Kong Chian Fellowship for Research Excellence
- 2015 — University Student Life Awards
- 2013–2016 — Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 2 Grant
- 2012 — Research Paper Award, Asia & Asian American Section, American Sociological Association
- 2011 — Staff Recognition Award, SMU Office of Student Life
- 2007–2010 — Teaching Excellence Award, School of Social Sciences
- 2003–2004 — Fulbright Fellowship
Affiliations & profiles
Contact
School of Social Sciences
Singapore Management University
90 Stamford Road, Fourth Floor
Singapore 178903
jdonaldson@smu.edu.sg
+65 6828 0295 (office)