Lynne Rienner Publishers Logo

Taiwan's Democracy Challenged: The Chen Shui-bian Years

Yun-han Chu, Larry Diamond, and Kharis Templeman, editors
Taiwan's Democracy Challenged: The Chen Shui-bian Years
ISBN: 978-1-62637-403-4
$75.00
ISBN: 978-1-62637-404-1
$32.50
ISBN: 978-1-62637-596-3
$32.50
2016/364 pages/LC: 2015043556
"Well-researched, well-structured. Highly recommended."—Choice

"Each chapter is abundantly filled with detailed material and analyses.... A must-read for scholars and students of Taiwan."—M. Bob Kao, LSE Review of Books

"This volume may become the definitive resource for understanding the Chen Shui-bian era—important for studying not only Taiwan's democratic development, but also democratic consolidation in general. The authors illustrate the complex, uneven, and multifaceted aspects of the era, also highlighting the 'unfinished' nature of this lived democratic experience."—Vincent Wei-cheng Wang, University of Richmond

"A 'must read' collection....This is by far the best treatment of democratic consolidation in Taiwan that I have seen."—Cal Clark, Auburn University
 

DESCRIPTION

When Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan's first non-Kuomintang president, left office in 2008, his tenure was widely considered a disappointment. More recent events, however, suggest the need for a reassessment of this crucial period in Taiwan's political development. Taiwan's Democracy Challenged provides that assessment, considering key facets of both the progress toward and the obstacles to democratic consolidation during the Chen Shui-bian era.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yun-han Chu (1956-2023) was professor of political science at National Taiwan University, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute of Political Science at Academia Sinica, and president of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation. Larry Diamond is senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Kharis Templeman is research associate at the Spogli Institute's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law and also manages the institute's Taiwan Democracy Program.

CONTENTS

  • Taiwan's Democracy Under Chen Shui-bian—K. Templeman, L. Diamond, and Y.-H. Chu.
  • POLITICS AND PUBLIC OPINION.
  • Party Politics and Elections: The Road to 2008—S. Rigger.
  • The Democratic Progressive Party in Majoritarian Elections—J. Lin.
  • Partisanship and Public Opinion—E.C. Yu.
  • Polarized Politics and Support for Democracy—Y.-H. Chu, M. Huang, and Y. Chang.
  • DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS IN ACTION.
  • Executive-Legislative Relations Under Divided Government—S. Hawang.
  • Horizontal Accountability and the Rule of Law—W.Chen and C. Hsu.
  • Strengthening Constitutionalism—Y.-H. Chu.
  • STATE-SOCIETY RELATIONS.
  • Civil Society and the Politics of Engagement—C. Huang.
  • Press Freedom and the Mass Media—C. Feng.
  • Restructuring State-Business Relations—J.W.Y. Wang, S. Chen, and C. Kuo.
  • Democratic Progressive Party Clientelism: A Failed Political Project—C. Wang.
  • NATIONAL SECURITY AND CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS. 
  • Depoliticizing Taiwan's Security Apparatus—Y. Tzeng.
  • Troubled Waters: The Conflict over Cross-Strait Relations—T. Leng.