Mai Truong
Biographic Data
| ID | 3869579 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Mai Truong |
| GIVEN NAMES | Mai |
| FAMILY NAME | Truong |
| SIGNATURE | TRUONG M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Marquette University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5129-3366 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 12 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Community-minded communists: A field experiment on party member propensity for community activism in rural Vietnam
In single-party and dominant-party regimes, do party members and non-party members at the grassroots level respond differently to party-linked collective action? This paper examines how different framings of party-linked collective action shape participation among party members and non-party members in Vietnam – one of the world’s most enduring single-party regimes – using a preregistered field experiment involving more than 7000 rural women. Con…
Protecting the center until it doesn’t: When blame shifting strategies are nullified in authoritarian regimes
Amid policy crises, many authoritarian regimes often deflect blame onto local authorities to protect their legitimacy. How does this strategy shape public attitudes toward different levels of government? We argue that blame-shifting, in the short run, shields central leaders from public criticism while eroding trust in local authorities. However, if the central government fails to respond to the crisis or the crisis persists, citizens gradually r…
Reaching the Margins Through the Centre: Navigating State Gateways in Authoritarian Fieldwork
Conducting fieldwork on politically sensitive topics in authoritarian contexts presents researchers with acute trade‐offs between access and autonomy. This note reflects on the methodological strategies and ethical dilemmas we encountered while studying land acquisition in Vietnam—a single‐party state where land conflict represents one of the most politically contentious issues facing the regime. Specifically, we discuss how working through gover…
Integrating Digital and On-Site Fieldwork: Practical Solutions for Scholars with Limited On-Site Access
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars have debated whether digital fieldwork can effectively substitute for on-site field research. The prevailing view is that digital fieldwork is a last resort when in-person access is limited. Reflecting on my recent field research in Vietnam and Malaysia, I advocate for integrating digital and on-site fieldwork as complementary components of the research process. This approach is particularly v…
Appendix: Perceived Protest Efficacy
Lv:0:53:http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#XMLLiteral Online Appendix
A Warning from Above: How Authoritarian Anti-Protest Propaganda Works
When faced with unfolding protests, autocrats frequently respond with anti-protest propaganda loaded with negative narratives about protesters. Although a substantial body of literature has suggested that anti-protest propaganda can effectively alter the way the public views protests, few researchers have examined the mechanism through which propaganda negatively affects public support for protests. In this article, the authors explain the role t…
Who Dominates the Coalition? Frame Salience and Public Support for Policy–Democracy Protest Coalitions under Authoritarian Rule
How does the public support a coalition in which pro-democracy advocates and policy-based protesters join forces in street protests? When policy-based and pro-democracy groups protest together, they create a collective action frame that includes a policy component and a democracy component. In this article, I develop the frame salience theory, arguing that support for a policy–democracy protest coalition depends on which component of the joint fr…
Perceived Protest Efficacy: How Economic and Diplomatic Ties with China Influence Support for Anti-China Protests Over South China Sea Disputes
How do citizens in Southeast Asia view and support protests against China's aggression in the South China Sea (SCS)? Despite the critical role of public opinion in shaping Southeast Asian states' bargaining power with China and preferences for resolving SCS disputes, little research has addressed this question. This article examines how the multifaceted economic and diplomatic relations between China and SCS claimant states influence public attit…
The “Ironic Impact” of Pro-Democracy Activists: How Pro-Democratic Frames Undermine Support for Local Policy-Based Protests in Authoritarian Regimes
Many protesters under authoritarian rule are “narrow in scope, involving only one or a few neighborhoods, villages, or groups of laid-off workers” and focus on demands that “have to do only with material interests and local grievances” (Lorentzen, 2013, p. 131). These protests typically blame local authorities and express loyalty to the political system. However, in the internet age, pro-democracy advocates often endorse and co-opt these local po…
Parents’ orientation is more important for children’s visits to greenspaces than the availability of spaces and time
Declining opportunities for speaking out: The impact of Vietnam's new leadership on grassroots collective action
This article examines how Vietnam's 13th Politburo elected in 2021 affects citizens’ willingness to raise their voices about policy issues through extra-institutional channels such as protests, petitions, and social media. I argue that an exceptionally high number of public security figures in the Politburo reflected the concerns of the Communist Party's Central Committee over regime-destabilizing grassroots activism. Using an online survey exper…
The salience of the Northern and Southern identity in Vietnam
This paper explores the salience of the north‐south identity in Vietnam. Using focus groups and survey data, we argue that Vietnam is characterized by asymmetric ingroup bias, where southerners hold higher levels of ingroup favoritism and outgroup discrimination than the north. However, while north‐south identity exists, its salience is limited because it crosscuts with other social identities. Survey data show little difference between the north…
Vietnam in 2019: A Return to Familiar Patterns
“Southeast Asian Affairs, first published in 1974, continues today to be required reading for not only scholars but the general public interested in in-depth analysis of critical cultural, economic and political issues in Southeast Asia. In this annual review of the region, renowned academics provide comprehensive and stimulating commentary that furthers understanding of not only the region’s dynamism but also of its tensions and conflicts. It is…
Connected Countryside: The Inhibiting Effect of Social Media on Rural Social Movements
While much research focuses on social media and urban movements, almost no research explores its potentially divergent effects in rural areas. Building on recent work emphasizing the multidimensional effects of online communication on vertical and horizontal information, we argue that while the Internet may facilitate large-scale urban movements, it inhibits large-scale rural movements. Because social media increases vertical information flows be…
The “Ironic Impact” of Pro-Democracy Activists: How Pro-Democratic Frames Undermine Support for Local Policy-Based Protests in Authoritarian Regimes
Many protesters under authoritarian rule are “narrow in scope, involving only one or a few neighborhoods, villages, or groups of laid-off workers” and focus on demands that “have to do only with material interests and local grievances” (Lorentzen, 2013, p. 131). These protests typically blame local authorities and express loyalty to the political system. However, in the internet age, pro-democracy advocates often endorse and co-opt these local po…
The salience of the Northern and Southern identity in Vietnam
This paper explores the salience of the north‐south identity in Vietnam. Using focus groups and survey data, we argue that Vietnam is characterized by asymmetric ingroup bias, where southerners hold higher levels of ingroup favoritism and outgroup discrimination than the north. However, while north‐south identity exists, its salience is limited because it crosscuts with other social identities. Survey data show little difference between the north…
A Warning from Above: How Authoritarian Anti-Protest Propaganda Works
When faced with unfolding protests, autocrats frequently respond with anti-protest propaganda loaded with negative narratives about protesters. Although a substantial body of literature has suggested that anti-protest propaganda can effectively alter the way the public views protests, few researchers have examined the mechanism through which propaganda negatively affects public support for protests. In this article, the authors explain the role t…
Connected Countryside: The Inhibiting Effect of Social Media on Rural Social Movements
While much research focuses on social media and urban movements, almost no research explores its potentially divergent effects in rural areas. Building on recent work emphasizing the multidimensional effects of online communication on vertical and horizontal information, we argue that while the Internet may facilitate large-scale urban movements, it inhibits large-scale rural movements. Because social media increases vertical information flows be…
Connected Countryside: The Inhibiting Effect of Social Media on Rural Social Movements
While much research focuses on social media and urban movements, almost no research explores its potentially divergent effects in rural areas. Building on recent work emphasizing the multidimensional effects of online communication on vertical and horizontal information, we argue that while the Internet may facilitate large-scale urban movements, it inhibits large-scale rural movements. Because social media increases vertical information flows be…
Vietnam in 2019: A Return to Familiar Patterns
“Southeast Asian Affairs, first published in 1974, continues today to be required reading for not only scholars but the general public interested in in-depth analysis of critical cultural, economic and political issues in Southeast Asia. In this annual review of the region, renowned academics provide comprehensive and stimulating commentary that furthers understanding of not only the region’s dynamism but also of its tensions and conflicts. It is…
The salience of the Northern and Southern identity in Vietnam
This paper explores the salience of the north‐south identity in Vietnam. Using focus groups and survey data, we argue that Vietnam is characterized by asymmetric ingroup bias, where southerners hold higher levels of ingroup favoritism and outgroup discrimination than the north. However, while north‐south identity exists, its salience is limited because it crosscuts with other social identities. Survey data show little difference between the north…
Declining opportunities for speaking out: The impact of Vietnam's new leadership on grassroots collective action
This article examines how Vietnam's 13th Politburo elected in 2021 affects citizens’ willingness to raise their voices about policy issues through extra-institutional channels such as protests, petitions, and social media. I argue that an exceptionally high number of public security figures in the Politburo reflected the concerns of the Communist Party's Central Committee over regime-destabilizing grassroots activism. Using an online survey exper…
Parents’ orientation is more important for children’s visits to greenspaces than the availability of spaces and time
The “Ironic Impact” of Pro-Democracy Activists: How Pro-Democratic Frames Undermine Support for Local Policy-Based Protests in Authoritarian Regimes
Many protesters under authoritarian rule are “narrow in scope, involving only one or a few neighborhoods, villages, or groups of laid-off workers” and focus on demands that “have to do only with material interests and local grievances” (Lorentzen, 2013, p. 131). These protests typically blame local authorities and express loyalty to the political system. However, in the internet age, pro-democracy advocates often endorse and co-opt these local po…
Integrating Digital and On-Site Fieldwork: Practical Solutions for Scholars with Limited On-Site Access
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars have debated whether digital fieldwork can effectively substitute for on-site field research. The prevailing view is that digital fieldwork is a last resort when in-person access is limited. Reflecting on my recent field research in Vietnam and Malaysia, I advocate for integrating digital and on-site fieldwork as complementary components of the research process. This approach is particularly v…
Appendix: Perceived Protest Efficacy
Lv:0:53:http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#XMLLiteral Online Appendix
A Warning from Above: How Authoritarian Anti-Protest Propaganda Works
When faced with unfolding protests, autocrats frequently respond with anti-protest propaganda loaded with negative narratives about protesters. Although a substantial body of literature has suggested that anti-protest propaganda can effectively alter the way the public views protests, few researchers have examined the mechanism through which propaganda negatively affects public support for protests. In this article, the authors explain the role t…
Who Dominates the Coalition? Frame Salience and Public Support for Policy–Democracy Protest Coalitions under Authoritarian Rule
How does the public support a coalition in which pro-democracy advocates and policy-based protesters join forces in street protests? When policy-based and pro-democracy groups protest together, they create a collective action frame that includes a policy component and a democracy component. In this article, I develop the frame salience theory, arguing that support for a policy–democracy protest coalition depends on which component of the joint fr…
Perceived Protest Efficacy: How Economic and Diplomatic Ties with China Influence Support for Anti-China Protests Over South China Sea Disputes
How do citizens in Southeast Asia view and support protests against China's aggression in the South China Sea (SCS)? Despite the critical role of public opinion in shaping Southeast Asian states' bargaining power with China and preferences for resolving SCS disputes, little research has addressed this question. This article examines how the multifaceted economic and diplomatic relations between China and SCS claimant states influence public attit…
Community-minded communists: A field experiment on party member propensity for community activism in rural Vietnam
In single-party and dominant-party regimes, do party members and non-party members at the grassroots level respond differently to party-linked collective action? This paper examines how different framings of party-linked collective action shape participation among party members and non-party members in Vietnam – one of the world’s most enduring single-party regimes – using a preregistered field experiment involving more than 7000 rural women. Con…
Protecting the center until it doesn’t: When blame shifting strategies are nullified in authoritarian regimes
Amid policy crises, many authoritarian regimes often deflect blame onto local authorities to protect their legitimacy. How does this strategy shape public attitudes toward different levels of government? We argue that blame-shifting, in the short run, shields central leaders from public criticism while eroding trust in local authorities. However, if the central government fails to respond to the crisis or the crisis persists, citizens gradually r…
Reaching the Margins Through the Centre: Navigating State Gateways in Authoritarian Fieldwork
Conducting fieldwork on politically sensitive topics in authoritarian contexts presents researchers with acute trade‐offs between access and autonomy. This note reflects on the methodological strategies and ethical dilemmas we encountered while studying land acquisition in Vietnam—a single‐party state where land conflict represents one of the most politically contentious issues facing the regime. Specifically, we discuss how working through gover…
Political science (11 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Authoritarianism (7 works) · Law (7 works) · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance (5 works) · Democracy (5 works) · Law (5 works) · Political economy (5 works) · Politics (5 works) · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies (4 works)