Zhizhen Lu

Zhizhen Lu

  • Assistant Professor, Global Studies
  • Ph.D. in Government, The University of Texas at Austin
  • M.A. in International Trade and Investment Policy, George Washington University

Teaching Interests

International Business, International Political Economy, International Relations, Non-market Strategies

Research Interests

Geopolitical Impact on International Business, Regulatory Politics, Strategic State-Business Interactions, Private Governance, Corporate Political Activities and Activism

Bio

Zhizhen Lu is an Assistant Professor at the Global Studies Department. He studies the impact of international politics on global business operations and corporate strategies to manage political or regulatory risks and uncertainties. Focusing on corporate compliance with economic sanctions, he has several interconnected projects investigating (1) the origin and strategic considerations behind the US government's outsourcing of compliance functions to companies, (2) the impact of the US compliance framework on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, and (3) the organization and incentives of corporate sanctions compliance structures. His broader research agenda intersects organizational compliance behavior, regulatory politics, and corporate political activities. His work appears in Business & Politics.  

Professional Memberships

  • American Political Science Association Present

    • Scholarly Contributions and Creative Productions

    Journal Articles

  • Jensen, N. M., Lu, Z., Nielson, D. L. (2025). Compliance is taxing: a field experiment on tax abatement information in the United States. Business and Politics, (FirstView) (Link)

    • Presentations

  • Lu, Z. (2025). “Self-Enforcing Global Private Governance” Presented at the APSA 2025 American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Meeting & Exhibition Vancouver, BC, Canada (participated virtually)
  • Lu, Z. (2026). “Outsourcing Oversight: State-directed Private Governance Improves Business Sanctions Compliance in Cross-border M&As” Presented at the Bryant University 2025 Association of International Business (AIB) U.S. Northeast Chapter Annual Conference Smithfield, Rhode Island, USA