Dr. Pengju Zhang Joins Editorial Team of 'Local Government Studies' Journal

Dr. Pengju Zhang, associate professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University–Newark, has joined the editorial team of Local Government Studies as an Editor.

Local Government Studies is the leading journal for the study of local politics, policy, public administration and management and governance. First established in 1975, it is an influential forum for critical dialogue and exchange on local government and a vital resource for academics, politicians, policy makers, and practitioners internationally.

Dr. Zhang specializes in state and local public finance, local government studies, education finance and policy, and quantitative analysis. His work has appeared in many peer-reviewed journals, including National Tax Journal, International Tax and Public Finance, Education Finance and Policy, Public Finance Review, Public Budgeting and Finance, American Review of Public Administration, The Journal of Regional Science, and Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, among others.

Over the past three years, he helped establish the annual Northeastern Public Finance and Budgeting Workshop, a one-day regional event for students and scholars specializing in public finance, financial management, and budgeting, with the inaugural workshop being held in 2024 at Rutgers SPAA. For the 2024-2025 academic year, he served as a Samuels Public Affairs Fellow, and in 2025 he received the SPAA Faculty Service Award for outstanding service to the school's students and faculty and the greater SPAA community. For 2025–2026, he was invited to give talks or participate in research discussions by domestic and international academic institutions, including the Economics Department of Rutgers University–Newark, the Green School of Florida International University, the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, and the School of Government of Sun Yat-sen University, among others.