Yu-Hsien Sung

Update: I returned to the States in the summer of 2024 and now live in Denton, Texas.
My previous email (ysung@email.edu.sc) will be deactivated. Please reach me at yu-hsien.sung@unt.edu.

Hi, I am an Assistant Professor in Political Science at the University of North Texas. I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of South Carolina in 2023, where I also completed my Master's degree in Applied Statistics.

A central focus of my research is understanding the local variation in the rule of law. In this regard, my doctoral dissertation examines one under-explored actor in law and court research, US local prosecutors. Specifically, my work examines how local chief prosecutors exercise policy-oriented discretion to generate support from their principals in ways that vary across selection methods. I have received significant external support for this research, including from the National Science Foundation and the American Political Science Association (APSA). My dissertation research is chosen as the Best Graduate Student Paper at the 2023 APSA Law and Courts session. In addition to that, my solo-authored work is published in Political Research Quarterly, and co-authored work appears in the Journal of Experimental Political Science.

In addition to my work in law and court in the American context, I also study comparative constitutional courts. My recent work traces the political foundations of Asia’s first same-sex marriage decision, which was made by the Constitutional Court in Taiwan, my native country.

You can reach me at yu-hsien.sung@unt.edu