Meg Rithmire

Meg Rithmire is the James E. Robison Professor in the Business, Government, and International Economy Unit at Harvard Business School. Her primary expertise is in the comparative political economy of development with a focus on China and Asia. She holds a PhD in Government from Harvard University. Her research includes the political logic of land reforms and urban development in China, as well as state-business relations in authoritarian Asia. She has authored two books, Land Bargains and Chinese Capitalism (Cambridge University Press, 2015) and Precarious Ties: Business and the State in Authoritarian Asia (Oxford University Press, 2023). Her work also examines China's role in the global economy, including its outward investment practices and economic relations with other countries. She is a faculty associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Fairbank Center for East Asian Studies, and the Harvard Faculty Committee on Southeast Asia.

Meg E Rithmire is a scholar focused on the political economy of China, examining the interplay between the state and capitalist development. Her research explores party-state capitalism, land institutions, and the role of the state in shaping economic policies. She analyzes how Chinese capital operates within authoritarian frameworks, including the dynamics of state-business relations, urbanization strategies, and the implications of Chinese investments abroad. Her work also critiques narratives surrounding China's economic practices, such as the so-called 'debt trap' and the 'Chongqing model.' Rithmire's research highlights the complexities of China's economic model, emphasizing the political and institutional dimensions of its development.