Understanding Modern Taiwan Essays in Economics, Politics and Social Policy

Focusing on aspects of modern Taiwan related to the fields of economics, social policy and politics, this collection brings together leading scholars to discuss recent developments in Taiwanese society. The contributors discuss economic policy making in Taiwan, the Diaspora of Taiwanese businessmen, the issue of national identity, the factors behind political liberalization and democratization, labour and social politics, the emergence of social movements that promote new social policies, and the impact of democratization on welfare state politics in Taiwan. Since the lifting of martial law in 1987, Taiwan has undergone a period of rapid industrialization and democratization which has changed the face of Taiwanese society. This volume will provide an insight into these dramatic economic, political and societal changes.

Contents: The Taiwanese economic miracle: from sugarcane to high-technology, Christian Aspalter; New patterns of Taiwanese emigration: capital-linked migration and its importance for economic development, Tseng Yen-Fen; Taiwanese identity in a global/ local context: the use and abuse of national consciousness in Taiwan, Chuang Ya-Chung; Liberalization and democratization in Taiwan, Christian Schafferer; Taiwan’s nuclear policy and anti-nuclear movement, Christian Schafferer; Labour policies in transition in democratizing Taiwan, Cheng Wei-Yuan; The development of social welfare in Taiwan, Chan Hou-Sheng and Ying Yang; Taiwan’s social welfare movement since the 1980s, Hsiao Hsin-Huang; On the road to a Taiwanese welfare state: political parties capitalizing on the issue of social welfare, Christian Aspalter.