Thriving rural communities are the backbone of small farmers’ resilience, where grassroots solutions and bottom-up policy shifts emerge, driven by shared challenges, cultural traditions, and entrepreneurial innovation.
ABOUT ME
Zhiqi Xu
Zhiqi is a rural development researcher and policy analyst who investigates policy-making and local engagement in rural community-driven development (CDD) in the Global South, with a particular focus on China. Drawing from both academic inquiry and her own upbringing in a farming community, she takes on interdisciplinary approach- integrating psychology and behavioural science to examine how small farmers and rural communities respond to development challenges and policy interventions.
As a versatile researcher, Zhiqi bridges multiple disciplines and stakeholders to foster meaningful change in rural development policies and programs. She actively connects policymakers, researchers, and small farmers, ensuring that research insights translate into actionable strategies. She also serves on the executive board of The Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science, advocating for high-quality and more inclusive psychological research that better represents the Global South.
Zhiqi is a doctoral researcher at Erasmus University, where she explores the intersection of poverty alleviation policy, grassroots policy innovation, and local community engagement. Her research examines how officials, beneficiaries, and rural institutions perceive and implement development policies. At Erasmus, she has also taught two master's courses: "Human Behaviour & Experiments in Development" and "Evaluation of Development Policy & Programs", bridging behavioural insights with policy analysis.
Beyond academia, she is an adjunct researcher at the Consultation Center of Farmers' Associations (Beijing), a national NGO supporting over 300 farmers' cooperatives and associations. She collaborates with researchers from leading Chinese universities and academies to strengthen farmers' capacity building, rural institutions, and policy evaluations, ensuring that research leads to practical, field-level impact.
Currently, her work focuses on how Chinese farmers are adapting to an aging society and exploring community-driven elder care solutions. Through a mixed-methods approach—combining interviews, case studies, household surveys, and behavioral experiments—she investigates the social and psychological dimensions of rural development.
Ongoing Projects
Currently, I am working on the following study for my PhD project:
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Adapting Traditions: Exploring Adaptive Strategies for Elder Care among Chinese Farmers in an Aging Society.
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Innovations in Rural Chinese Poverty Alleviation Policymaking: Applying the Multiple Streams Framework to Analyse a GONGO Initiative.
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Open Science in Developing Countries: A Collection of Practical Guides.
Journal Outputs
Xu, Z. et al. (2025). invited team paper in progress). Open science in developing countries: A collection of practical solutions in psychological science. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science.
Xu, Z., et al. (2019). Differences in risk preferences under farming and nomadic cultures:
Evidence and analysis frameworks. Advances in Psychological Science, 27(9), 1631–1642.
Xu, Z., et al. (2018). Statistical analyses in single-subject experiment research: Effect sizes based on non-overlap methods. Psychology: Techniques and Applications, 6(2), 89–99.
Publications
Book Chapters
Xu, Z. (2022). Yilong Practice: Empowering and Enabling Farmers' Organizations. In Yang, T., Liu, J., & Tong, Z. (Eds), Exploring the Grassroots Practice of Rural Revitalization (pp.265-283). Beijing: China Social Sciences Press.
Xu, Z., et al. (2022). Wangjia Village Experiment: Rural Development Beyond Profit Goals in Downstream Enterprises. In Yang, T., Liu, J., & Tong, Z. (Eds), Exploring the Grassroots Practice of Rural Revitalization (pp.385-398). Beijing: China Social Sciences Press.
Reports
Xu, Z., et al. (2022). The Role of Public Welfare Charity in Rural Development and Revitalization (Sub-report). In Yang, T. & Zhu, J. (Ed.), Annual Report on China's Philanthropy Development (pp.114-163). Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press (China).
Academic Blogs
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Erasmus University Rotterdam Lustrum Event: Strategies for Reaching “Hard-to-Reach” Groups in Community Research
Zhiqi Xu gave a workshop on her fieldwork experience with engaging "hard-to-reach" populations in her research in rural China. She highlighted the importance of engaging hard-to-reach populations across various disciplines. While scholars often prioritise engagement methods, pre-research preparations and community partnerships are equally crucial. Effective engagement entails ethical considerations, participatory communication, and building trust through sustained efforts. Zhiqi also discussed how collaboration with diverse stakeholders is essential, challenging assumptions shaped by Western academia. Zhiqi: “Co-designing research with local partners is imperative due to the contextual nature of engagement. Despite frustrations and barriers, fostering a supportive scholarly community and persisting through challenges can lead to profound rewards, enriching understanding, and driving meaningful social change." Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands Date: 12 Mar 2024
My Blog
Strategies for Reaching “Hard-to-Reach” Groups in Community Research: Collaboration with diverse stakeholders
The Normative Dimension of Transdisciplinary Cooperation: Values are understood differently but always relate to contexts
Assessing Eco-Tourism in Development Policy: Challenges in Evaluating Long-Term Impact and Sustainability