2nd Edition

Government and Politics in Taiwan

By Dafydd Fell Copyright 2018
    330 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    330 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Written by an experienced teacher and scholar, this new and revised second edition of Government and Politics in Taiwan introduces students to the big questions concerning change and continuity in Taiwanese politics and governance. Taking a critical approach, Dafydd Fell provides students with the essential background to the history and development of the political system, as well as an explanation of the key structures, processes and institutions that have shaped Taiwan over the last few decades.

    Using key features such as suggestions for further reading and end-of-chapter study questions, this textbook covers:

    • the transition to democracy and party politics;

    • cross-Strait relations and foreign policy;

    • electoral politics and voting;

    • social movements;

    • national identity;

    • gender politics.

    Having been fully updated to take to take stock of the 2012 and 2016 General Elections, the Sunflower Movement and new developments in cross-Strait relations, this is an essential text for any course on Taiwanese politics, Chinese politics and East Asian politics.

    1. Introduction to government and politics in Taiwan

    2. Authoritarian rule: The politics of martial law in Taiwan

    3. Transition to democracy and democratic consolidation

    4. Taiwan’s government and constitutional structure

    5. Electoral politics: Milestones, electoral systems and political communication

    6. Party politics in Taiwan

    7. Local and factional politics

    8. Competing national identities

    9. Taiwan’s external relations: Balancing international space and cross-Strait relations

    10. From Leninist corporatist state to vibrant civil society: The emergence and role of social movements

    11. Is democracy working in Taiwan? Social welfare, political corruption and LGBT rights

    12. Taiwan under divided government 2000-2008: The Chen Shui-bian era

    13. Taiwan’s Politics Under Ma Ying-jeou and beyond

    14. A multitude of political miracles and future challenges

    Biography

    Dafydd Fell is the Reader in Comparative Politics at the Department of Politics and International Studies and Director of Centre of Taiwan Studies, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK.

    "This book is impeccably written – extremely clear prose and full of lucid details that even a non-specialist and non-statistician like me can understand. The amount of careful work involved in amassing all the data is extraordinary and the transparency and fluidity of the proseis impressive. It's a pleasure to read something so well-written – something I would rarely say about most academic texts." 

    Professor Adam Lifshey, Georgetown University, USA.

     

    "This is a useful introduction to Taiwan’s politics, especially as a textbook (with questions after each chapter). However, it will not only interest students, but also deserves a wider readership, especially within the policymaking community and among journalists who need to better understand why a democratic Taiwan matters." 

    Parmeet Kajal, International Journal of Taiwan Studies