Steven J. Balla is Associate Professor of Political Science, Public Policy and Public Administration, and International Affairs at The George Washington University. He is Co-director of the GW Regulatory Studies Center. His research focuses on government transparency and public participation in the policymaking process in China and the United States. Who from outside of government participates in the making of public policy? Does this participation impact policy processes and outcomes? His research has been published by Oxford University Press, the American Political Science Review, and China Quarterly. He has testified in front of the United States Congress, has twice served as a consultant to the Administrative Conference of the United States, and has been a Senior Fulbright Scholar at both Peking University in Beijing and Nankai University in Tianjin.