SUSAN SUN GUE YANG

Welcome! My name is Susan Sun Gue Yang.

I am a Ph.D. Candidate (dissertation defended on July 7, 2026) in Public Administration and Public Policy at the Department of Political Science, University of South Carolina. I am currently out on the academic job market. See my CV here.

I was honored to receive the 2025 NASPAA Staats Emerging Scholar Award, the JPAE Best Reviewer Award, and the 2025 Outstanding Graduate Instructor Award from USC. I also currently serve as the Social Media Editor for the Public Personnel Management (PPM) journal.

My research examines how socioeconomic status and social class shape public organizations, public employees, and policy outcomes. Situated at the intersection of public administration, public and nonprofit management, human resource management, and social policy, I study questions related to representation,  organizational behavior, and public service delivery. Drawing on theories such as representative bureaucracy, street-level bureaucracy, public service motivation, and service equity, I use mixed-methods research to better understand how institutions can promote more equitable and effective governance.