23 Oct 2026
Chi Yang, a PhD candidate in the Department of Intelligent Operations and Marketing at IBSS, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, has successfully passed his doctoral viva defence and been awarded the degree of PhD in Business.
Chi's thesis is titled "Visible Hand in the Electric Mobility Transitions: The Role of Government Policies in the Development of Electric Vehicle Industry". The thesis develops an integrated framework of EV policy effectiveness and conducts three empirical studies across country, city, and firm levels. It investigates how policy characteristics interact with implementation contexts, how policy mixes achieve effectiveness through internal, external, and temporal fit, and how firms respond differently to draft and final policies. Overall, the thesis shows that policy effectiveness is configurational, context-dependent, dynamic, and heterogeneous, and also demonstrates the use of large language models in policy research.
Reflecting on his doctoral experience at IBSS, Chi describes it as both an academic and personal transformation. With the close guidance of his supervisors, he developed strong skills in research design, analysis methods, academic writing, and teaching ability. Meanwhile, IBSS's workshops, seminars, doctoral training activities, and international research environment broadened his academic perspective, enabled him to engage with scholars and practitioners, and helped him stay connected with frontier research and methodological developments. Most importantly, the support from his supervisors, fellow PhD students, and staff gave him a strong sense of belonging throughout his PhD journey.
During his doctoral studies, Chi produced substantial academic outputs. His paper "Configurational Impacts of Government Policies on Electric Vehicle Diffusion: A Global Analysis" was published in Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, and "Impact of Government Policies on the Electric Vehicle Industry, Environment, and Society: A Systematic Review" was published in Technology in Society. He presented his research at multiple international conferences and received the Second Prize of Best Paper Award at the 10th International Conference of Marketing Science and Innovation, as well as an Excellent Paper Award Finalist at the 9th International Conference of Marketing Science and Innovation.
Chi was supervised by Professor Lixian Qian and Dr Miaomiao Liu. The supervisors comment that Chi has had a very successful PhD journey, indicated not only by productive achievements such as journal publications and research awards but also by his strong motivation and great research initiatives. His research has made strong contributions to better understanding the role of government policies in industry development, with the case of the electric vehicle sector. He has demonstrated strong potential to expand his existing research into the broader field of policy and innovation management. Both supervisors look forward to continuing working with him on a range of research projects.
Following graduation, Chi plans to continue pursuing an academic career, with a focus on research and teaching in areas related to government policy, innovation management, and sustainable mobility. He hopes to further develop the research agenda established during his PhD.
In addition, Chi's supervisors, Professor Lixian Qian and Dr Miaomiao Liu, have outlined their future PhD supervision areas. Professor Qian's research focuses on technology adoption and diffusion, data-driven marketing strategy, smart mobility, and sustainability. Dr Liu's research focuses on the sharing economy, smart mobility, the silver economy, GAI-generated images, human-algorithm interaction, and user-generated content (UGC). They particularly welcome PhD projects focusing on smart mobility and emerging transportation technologies, including policy effectiveness and technology diffusion, the influence of algorithms and AI on driver behaviour and decision-making, autonomous driving, and the low-altitude economy. Applicants with backgrounds in marketing, information systems, business analytics, management, transportation studies, computer science, statistics, or related disciplines, and with strong quantitative research skills, are encouraged to contact them.
【About the IBSS PhD programmes】
The IBSS PhD programmes at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University offer an excellent opportunity for students seeking doctoral study at a young, dynamic and academically strong business school. Founded in 2013, IBSS is the largest English-language business schools in China and is among an elite and prestigious group of business schools worldwide to hold Triple Crown accreditation from AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA. IBSS brings together a highly international body of academic staff, with all holding overseas doctoral degrees and/or international work experience, and offers prospective students access to a strong pool of potential supervisors in a vibrant, research-led academic environment.
PhD students at IBSS study in a highly international environment and benefit from joint supervision involving XJTLU and the University of Liverpool, UK, gaining broad academic support and diverse international perspectives. IBSS offers doctoral research opportunities across a broad range of areas in business, including accounting, economics, finance, strategy, organisation, marketing, operations, and data-driven business research, among other fields. Prospective applicants are warmly encouraged to explore the webpages and academic staff profiles of each department to identify research areas and potential supervisors that best match their own research interests.
We welcome outstanding applicants to apply through the online application system: https://single.xjtlu.edu.cn/cform/#/coordinateStandard/layout?uri=4c6c9b004cda49b8bbfeae67a945d046.
If you have any questions regarding the application system, please contact: DoctoralStudies@xjtlu.edu.cn. For enquiries about the IBSS PhD programmes, please email: IBSS.PhD@xjtlu.edu.cn
23 Oct 2026