Democratisation In Taiwan

Written by a respected scholar in the field, this book provides a thorough discussion of the process of democratization in China and Taiwan.

Is the Nationalist party of China (Kuomintang, or KMT) the villain it is sometimes portrayed to be? Or is it the embodiment of the political and moral good that partisans have claimed it to be? The KMT has managed an incredible feat of economic modernization in Taiwan and has become a proponent of democracy, yet its reputation has been marred by brutal acts of repression and by ineptitude. Focusing on the role of KMT party elites in the democratization process. Steven Hood considers the KMT's evolution from a Leninist party-state to a fractious party in a competitive political system. Many contemporary studies suggest that democratization is the product of decisions, compromises, and accidents - the result of relatively short-term confrontations among elites in the opposition and softliners and hardliners within authoritarian regimes. Although these factors are important, the democratization of Taiwan has been a long-term process of elites wrestling within the confines of existing political institutions. Taiwan's case study reminds us that we need to revisit the prerequisites that must underline a true democracy - factors that are too often ignored or dismissed by scholars studying the democratization process.

Taiwan has become a democracy despite the inability of its political elite to agree on the national identity of the state. This is a study of the history of democratisation in the light of the national identity problem, based on interviews with leading figures in the KMT and opposition parties.

Democratization in Taiwan in the last decade raises the question whether a similar process can happen in China, and dispels the old conception that democratization is incompatible with the Chinese/Confucian tradition. This volume examines the nature of and the dynamics in the democratization of a Leninist style party-state in Taiwan and its implications for China - still governed under a Leninist system. It also assesses the process of democratic consolidation and the political, military and diplomatic reality which constrains democratization in Taiwan.

Taiwan faces many of the same challenges as most newly democratized nations such as the legacy of an authoritarian government, a traditional culture, ethnic division and non-majoritarian political institutions. Each chapter in this volume sheds light on the democratization process. The contributors examine questions concerning the state of political trust, ethnicity, democratic values and political institutions. In the post-Cold War era when America's foreign policy is focusing on how best to foster democratic transition throughout the world, the lessons that can be learned from Taiwan's democratization impart valuable lessons to students and scholars.

This book is a pioneering analysis of the deliberative systems approach in Taiwan, extending an understanding of Taiwanese democratic politics and consolidating links between theoretical development and a practical application of deliberative practices. As a front-runner of new democracies in Asia and a relatively open society, Taiwan provides a model for deliberative governance, with a view towards institutional innovation and increasing democratisation. This book considers how components within the intricate web of micro- and macro- deliberative systems perform different functions, complement each other, and contribute both to policy change and democratic innovation. Specific cases are provided – such as participatory budgeting in Taipei City and the government-academia alliance model – to demonstrate the long-term systemic effects of mini-publics and citizen actions. In addition, the book proposes the possibility of deliberative democracy for other countries in the world, alongside various policy issues, including mini-publics, e-participation, co-governance, citizen science, negotiation mechanisms, and the deliberative practices of indigenous peoples. Deliberative Democracy in Taiwan will appeal to students and scholars of East Asian studies, Taiwanese politics, political science and social movement studies.

Consolidating Taiwan's Democracy assesses the argument that political change in Taiwan, in particular the recent elections that brought a change of ruling parties in both the executive branch of government and the legislative branch, proves that Taiwan's democratization has been "finalized" or consolidated. This insightful work explores both the positive and negative aspects of democracy's consolidation in Taiwan.

This book shows that Taiwan, unlike other countries, avoided serious economic disruption and social conflict, and arrived at its goal of multi-party competition with little blood shed. Nonetheless, this survey reveals that for those who imagine democracy to be the panacea for every social, economic and political ill, Taiwan's continuing struggles against corruption, isolation and division offer a cautionary lesson. This book is an ideal, one-stop resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students of political science, particuarly those interested in the international politics of China, and the Asia-Pacific.