I am a social scientist specializing in nonprofit management and volunteerism. My broader research agenda centers on why citizens participate and persist in public affairs, and the corresponding roles of public and nonprofit organizations. My dissertation examines how organizational level interaction between government and nonprofit organizations affect volunteering and citizen participation. I am also interested in volunteer retention, diversity and organizational survival. My work has been published in Nonprofit Management & Leadership, and the Asian Journal of Political Science.
I have received a Ph.D. in Public Affairs from the O’Neill School, Indiana University-Bloomington in June 2020. I completed an M.P.A. at Indiana University in 2015, and a B.Soc.Sci in Politics and Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong in 2012.
Ph.D. in Public Affairs, June 2020
Indiana University-Bloomington
M.P.A, Policy Analysis, Nonprofit Management, May 2015
Indiana University-Bloomington
Bachelor of Social Sciences, June 2012
The University of Hong Kong
Walk, M., Zhang, R. & Littlepage, L. (2019). “Don’t you want to stay?” The impact of training and recognition as HR practices on volunteer turnover. Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 29(4), 509-527.
Jung, H. & Zhang, R. (2017). Impact evaluations in South Korea and China. Asian Journal of Political Science, 25:3, 328-349.
Zhang, R., Haohan Chen, & Jill Nicholson-Crotty. “A new bureaucratic effect: Does government funding to nonprofit organizations crowd out or crowd in volunteers?” (revise & resubmit)
Zhang, R. “Persistence in adversity: Why do protesters in China respond to state control differently?” Presented at ARNOVA 2018, Austin, TX; ISTR 2018, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Zhang, R. “Who speaks truth to power for nonprofit organizations?: The organizational choice between volunteers and paid staff in lobbying activities.” Accepted for presentation at ARNOVA 2019.
Zhang, R. & Brad Fulton. “Sometimes it takes time: The impact of leadership diversity on organizational financial performance and survival.” Earlier drafts presented at ISTR 2018, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. AOM 2019, Boston, MA.
Zhang, R. & Marlene Walk. “Racial diversity and volunteer retention.” Presented at PMRC 2019, Chapel Hill, NC.
PP 5336 Fund Development and Nonprofit Sustainability, Online, Fall 2020. Current syllabus.
PP 5331 Quantitative Methods for Public Policy, Distance Learning Fall 2020. Current syllabus.
V348 Management Science, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020. Syllabus. Evaluations: Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020. 2019 O’Neill Outstanding Teaching Award for Associate Instructor
V336 Management Concepts & Applications II, “Introduction to the nonprofit sector”, Fall 2017.
N525 Management in the Nonprofit Sector, “Ethics” (MPA-level), Fall 2017.
K300 Statistical Techniques, Spring 2014.
Outside of research, dance is my number-one passion. I am a classically trained dancer, and began dancing since I was four years old. I received a majority of my dance training in Ningbo, China. In Bloomington, I have performed with MotionArts Dance Academy (Ballet) and IU African American Dance Company (Contemporary). After moving to Hartford CT, I have continued to practice ballet and learn West African dance from Baba McDaniel Roberts. I have also been training in English horseback riding (dressage and show jumping) since 2016.