Written by Meng Kit Tang. This article explores Taiwan’s debate over the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall — a site that embodies both national survival and authoritarian trauma. It calls for transforming the hall into a civic classroom that contextualises Chiang’s achievements and abuses, draws lessons from Germany and South Africa, and contrasts Taiwan’s openness with Beijing’s censorship.Continue reading| Taiwan Insight
Written by Yi-Ling Chen. This article traces Taiwan’s housing transformation, arguing that the state’s role remains central, and that its interventions have facilitated commodification, speculation, and inequality in Taiwan’s housing sector. It calls for restoring housing’s use value and reimagining it as a basic necessity. Continue reading| Taiwan Insight
Written by Zong-Rong Lee. As part of the Taiwan Insight–IJTS special issue on the Topical Section “Transitions and Challenges in Taiwan’s Economy and Society,” this article presents Zong-Rong Lee’s study on Taiwan’s enduring family capitalism. It traces how political patronage, kinship networks, and market reforms sustained family dominance, raising concerns about competition and long-term adaptability.Continue reading| Taiwan Insight
Written by Thung-Hong Lin and Chun-Yin Lee. This article discusses the impact of China’s tightening control and U.S.–China trade tensions on Taiwanese firms. The authors find that traditional electronics firms have suffered revenue and profit declines, while high-end semiconductor companies have shown counter-cyclical growth. Ongoing tariff negotiations leave future prospects uncertain.Continue reading| Taiwan Insight
Written by Zong-Rong Lee and Thung-Hong Lin. This article introduces the Taiwan Insight–IJTS special issue on the Topical Section “Transitions and Challenges in Taiwan’s Economy and Society.” Initiated as an open invitation to scholars worldwide, the Topical Section reflects on Taiwan’s economic transformation, convening debate on structural shifts, their consequences, and the pressing challenges shaping Taiwan’s future. Continue reading| Taiwan Insight
Written by Meng Kit Tang. This article reflects on Taiwan’s remarkable civic response to the 2025 Hualien floods, where thousands of volunteers, faith groups, and ordinary citizens mobilised overnight. The essay ultimately suggests that Taiwan’s story offers lessons not just for its own politics, but also for neighbours and rivals alike: that true strength and attraction emerge not from control, but from authenticity. Continue reading| Taiwan Insight
Written by Ashley Cheng. This article argues that Taiwan's current energy trajectory is incompatible with its high-tech goals. Unless Taiwan vigorously accelerates its clean energy transition, it risks energy bottlenecks that could impact not just its climate crisis but also threaten both its national security and economic competitiveness.Continue reading| Taiwan Insight
Written by Choesang Scholer. Despite the pressures of external forces on Indigenous land and domain, Indigenous community members utilise art as a medium for political protest to amplify their conc…| Taiwan Insight
Written by Jacob Parker. This article examines the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian War on the attitudes of the Taiwanese public and politicians, with some questioning the credibility of US support for Taiwan. It argues that, for the sake of democracy, America cannot afford to let its support waver. The US must stand firmly with its democratic partners.Continue reading| Taiwan Insight
Written by Lena McEachern. This article argues that Taiwan should reinvest in nuclear energy for its energy security in the current geopolitical climate. It is also a relatively environmentally clean energy source. Although the referendum to open Maanshan reactor did not reach the legal threshold necessary to pass, the DPP should build momentum towards restarting decommissioned reactors.Continue reading| Taiwan Insight
