My scholarly work has studied various forms of communities, encompassing formal institutions like nonprofit organizations, as well as informal grassroots organizing, such as mutual aid groups and online communities or networked publics on social media. By social and policy change, I look at various policy objectives, from socioeconomic disadvantage to racial equity and climate justice. In short, my research program is interwoven with three core themes–the 3Cs: Community, Collective, and Connective.
Community-Oriented
Looking at both online and offline communities, my research uses a place-based perspective in understanding resource inequality across geographical communities, and how the nonprofit sector shapes and is being shaped by place itself. In the online playing field, I examine online communities on social media and other online platforms where the public, stakeholders and policymakers interact and engage to advance local wellbeing and policy process.
Collective-focused
The unit of analysis of my research is the bottom-up collective “self-governing” phenomenon in which people come together for common good to address local and public problems through organized organizations such as community foundations, nonprofits, grassroots groups.
Connective-driven
I look at their roles and capacities to make meaningful connections and online connective actions, such as engaging with local communities, social media advocacy, building diffused networks for advancing policy reforms.