Elizabeth Larus 
Professor, Political Science | University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, VA, UNITED STATES
Dr. Larus is an expert in the politics of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong
Spotlight
Biography
Elizabeth Freund Larus, Professor of Political Science, received a Ph.D. (1994) in government with a certificate in Asian studies from the University of Virginia. She earned an M.A. (1989) in public administration, also from the University of Virginia, and a B.A. (1983) in journalism from Creighton University. An expert in the politics of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, Dr. Larus conducted field research while living in Asia for three years. She speaks Mandarin Chinese and is the former press secretary for former U.S. Congressman Hal Daub. She is the author of the books Economic Reform in China, 1979-2003: The Marketization of Labor and State Enterprises (2005) and Politics and Society in Contemporary China (2012).
Her articles have been published in several professional journals including Issues & Studies, American Journal of Chinese Studies, Policy Studies Review, Southeast Review of Asian Studies, Asian Affairs, American Asian Review, and the Chinese-English magazine Voice of Han.
She also has written chapters in several books including Taiwan and the International Community; The China Handbook; Taiwan and Mainland China Toward the Twenty first Century; Adjusting to Capitalism: Chinese Workers and Their State; Across the Taiwan Strait: Exchanges, Conflicts, and Negotiations; and Remaking China’s Public Management.
Dr. Larus has presented the papers “Taiwan after the Global Financial Crisis: Where Do We Go From Here?” at the American Association for Chinese Studies conference and “Taiwan’s Reaction to Global Financial Crisis” at the American Political Science Association conference.
Among her awards are a Dissertation Fellowship Award and two duPont Fellowships, all from the University of Virginia. She also was the recipient of a Lingnan Foundation Research Grant and a Pacific Cultural Foundation Grant. She was a 2007-08 academic fellow of The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. In addition, Dr. Larus is a member of the American Political Science Association, the Association for Asian Studies, the American Association for Chinese Studies, and the Conference Group on Taiwan Studies. Dr. Larus has served on the editorial board of Issues & Studies and as the president of the Virginia Consortium for Asian Studies.
Areas of Expertise (12)
Political Science
University Teaching
Public Policy
International Relations
Foreign Policy
Research
Community Outreach
Public Speaking
Policy Analysis
Asia-Pacific Issues
Economic Research
Journalism
Accomplishments (3)
Taiwan Fellowship (professional)
2015-01-01
Awarded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China.
Research Grant (professional)
Awarded by the Lingnan Foundation.
Research Grant in Chinese Studies (professional)
Awarded by the Pacific Cultural Foundation.
Education (3)
University of Virginia: Ph.D., Government 1994
With a certificate in Asian studies.
University of Virginia: M.A., Public Administration 1989
Creighton University: B.A., Journalism 1983
Affiliations (5)
- American Association for Chinese Studies
- China Studies Group
- American Political Science Association
- Conference Group on Taiwan Studies
- Virginia Consortium for Asian Studies
Media Appearances (15)
PSIA Chairman Elizabeth Freund Larus February 19 offered comments on Vietnam News on President Biden's domestic and foreign priorities.
Vietnam News online
2021-02-23
PSIA Chairman Elizabeth Freund Larus February 19 offered comments on Vietnam News on President Biden's domestic and foreign priorities.
Biden Pauses Appeals on Chinese App Bans
Courthouse News Service online
2021-02-12
Weighing in from the University of Mary Washington, political science professor Elizabeth Larus noted that the litigation is part of a broader dance with Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. relations. “Walking back TikTok is a signal to Xi that the Biden administration seeks to reset relations with Beijing by revisiting some of Trump’s actions against China."
US Sanctions on Chinese, Russian Firms
In Focus South Asia online
2020-12-07
US Sanctions on Chinese, Russian Firms
Taiwan exports set to suffer from RCEP trade deal exclusion
South China Morning Post online
2020-12-02
Elizabeth Larus, an expert on Taiwan’s politics at the University of Mary Washington, said Taiwan may have a better shot at joining the CPTPP now that China was in the RCEP, although Beijing would strongly protest the island’s potential membership to the CPTPP as well as any free-trade agreement between Taiwan and the United States.
Chairman of the PSIA Department Professor Elizabeth Larus commented on Vietnam TV News on US-Vietnam relations after the 2020 US Presidential Election.
V News online
2020-11-17
Her comments (in Vietnamese) begin at 13 minutes into the program.
News Feed with Murtaza Dar
Capital TV, Islamabad) online
2020-11-12
News Feed with Murtaza Dar
US Elections 2020: A Biden-Pence presidency? Electoral College tie could result in most unusual POTUS-VP combo
MEAWW online
2020-11-03
However, Elizabeth Larus, Professor of Political Science at the University of Mary Washington, believes that a Pelosi presidency is unlikely and that there's a better chance of a Biden-Pence administration instead.
US Elections 2020: What happens if Joe Biden wins? 'Fear of violence is real' security experts warn
MEAWW online
2020-11-03
"We have certainly seen more unrest in this country over the past year than we have seen since the contentious 1960s. Hopefully, the results this week will be clear enough to everyone that any claim of fraud will be seen as absurd," Dr. Stephen J. Farnsworth, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Mary Washington told MEA Worldwide. "The polls have been telling us that Biden is likely to win, so a win would not be a surprise, muting a violent response," Elizabeth Larus, Professor of Political Science at the University of Mary Washington told MEA Worldwide.
China’s military rise poses greatest foreign policy challenge to next U.S. president
Internewscast.com online
2020-11-02
“China will continue and possibly increase overflights into Taiwan airspace because Beijing is carrying out the sorties in response to politics in Taiwan,” Elizabeth Freund Larus, chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Mary Washington, told the Diplomat.
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020: THE TAIWAN FACTOR
Taiwan Factor online
2020-10-20
Elizabeth Larus, Professor and Chairman in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, published her commentary on US-Taiwan relations after the 2020 Presidential Election in Taiwan Insight of the University of Nottingham, UK.
US Presidential Elections 2020: The Taiwan Factor
The Diplomat online
2020-10-07
She commented in The Diplomat that the next administration’s personnel picks would largely determine US-Taiwan relations after the 2020 Presidential Election.
US Banning WeChat, TikTok Citing National Security
CBN online
2020-09-24
Elizabeth Freund Larus commented on CBN News on pending US bans of popular Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat. In her September 18 interview, Professor Larus warned that TikTok, a Chinese video-sharing social networking service, feeds the facial recognition and user data that it collects to China. The Chinese messaging app WeChat may allow the Chinese government to read its unencrypted messages.
Elizabeth Freund Larus commented on US sanctions against Chinese construction companies.
Indus News online
2020-09-14
In her August 31 interview, Professor Larus argued that the US sanctions are not intended to contain China's rise, but are in response to their participation in China's island building on disputed territories in the South China Sea. The US sanctions threaten the future of Chinese development projects, such as construction of Sri Lanka's Port City Columbo project. Professor Larus' comments begin at 19:30 minutes into the program.
Elizabeth Freund Larus comments on Trump and Biden’s strengths and weaknesses on Vietnam News.
Vietnam News online
2020-09-04
Professor Larus is on at 3:28 minutes into the program and again at 14:33 minutes.
Elizabeth Freund Larus comments on China's relationship to the U.S. in the South China Morning Post.
South China Morning Post online
2020-09-04
Professor Elizabeth Freund LARUS, Chairman of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, commented in the South China Morning Post Sept 3 that China has become a bipartisan issue. No matter if the next presidential administration is Democrat or Republican, the US will take a hard line in treating China as a challenger.
Event Appearances (1)
Taiwan after the Global Financial Crisis: Where Do We Go from Here?
American Association for Chinese Studies annual meeting Winston-Salem, NC
2010-10-01
Articles (4)
Technological Change and China's Naval Modernization: Security Implications for Taiwan
Palgrave MacMillan2015-01-01
In "Cross-Taiwan Strait Relations in an Era of Technological Change: Security, Economic and Cultural Dimensions," edited by Paul Irwin Crookes and Jan Knoerich.
Politics and Society in Contemporary China
Lynne Rienner Publishers2012-01-01
This authoritative text captures the dynamism of Chinese politics and society. Elizabeth Larus begins with a broad sweep of China's modern history—from the imperial era to the present—providing essential context for understanding the current political environment. She then makes sense of the dramatic political, social, and economic changes that have occurred across some six decades. The result is a rich and detailed analysis that is both thought-provoking and accessible, appropriate for students at all levels.
Taiwan's Quest for International Recognition
Issues & Studies2006-07-01
To be attractive to other states, Taiwan has constructed a national identity based on universal values of democracy, freedom, and economic prosperity. This article examines Taiwan's use of soft power and national identity issues to gain international recognition of national sovereignty.
Economic Reform in China, 1979-2003: The Marketization of Labor and State Enterprises
Edwin Mellen Press2005-09-30
This book provides a clear, yet intricate understanding of the issues, focusing on the state industrial enterprises and affirming that a policy of gradualism was politically prudent in the 1980s and 90s given the political constraints and resistance to reforms by some labor groups. It depicts the delicate balance between state owned enterprises and domestic worker dissatisfaction.
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