Lynette Ong

Distinguished Professor of Chinese Politics, University of Toronto; Director of China Governance Lab, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy

Lynette Ong is Distinguished Professor of Chinese Politics at the University of Toronto, and Director of China Governance Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She is also a nonresident Senior Fellow at the Asia Society, and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. She is the author of four books, including the award-winning Outsourcing Repression: Everyday State Power in Contemporary China (Oxford UP, 2022). Her latest co-authored book, Outsourcing Surveillance: Online Opinion Management in China (Cambridge University Press, 2026) examines how the Chinese government co-opts market forces in conducting digital surveillance and repression. Her publications have appeared in leading journals, namely Perspectives on Politics, Comparative Politics, China Quarterly, China Journal, and outlets, such as Foreign Affairs, Journal of Democracy, Economist, Washington Post, South China Morning Post, and Globe and Mail. Her research has won multiple accolades from APSA, ISA, ASA, and CPSA. She is also a recipient of the SSHRC Impact Award.