Pacific Affairs: An International Review of Asia and the Pacific

Volume 76, No. 2

 

Deepening Democracy in Taiwan
By Joseph Wong

 

Abstract

Over the past decade and a half, Taiwan has democratized. During this process of political change, progressive politics issues - social policy, environmental awareness, human rights - have become a part of the political mainstream in Taiwan. Simply put, democracy in Taiwan has deepened, moving from minimalist conceptions of procedural democracy to more substantive notions of social, economic and political citizenship. In this article, I explain the politics of democratic deepening in Taiwan. I offer four arguments. First, economic growth with equity inculcated a normative expectation among Taiwanese for continued socio-economic justice and for state intervention in the interests of the public good more generally. Second, the institutionalization of democratic competition created incentives for political entrepreneurs to latch onto, and thus legitimate, progressive politics issues. Third, the increasingly important role of societal actors during the 1990s and tightening electoral competition facilitated a continual 'spiral upwards' in progressive politics legislation. Finally, the construction of a civic national identity in Taiwan has reinforced democratic deepening.