Taiwan Program Research

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Research

Our Research Mission

The Taiwan program explores Taiwan's modernization success and the challenges its economy and society face in a new era of globalization. Our research is policy-relevant, interdisciplinary, and grounded in the social sciences. We focus on the following themes in Taiwan's post-industrial stage:

Globalization, Industrialization, and Economic Development: We examine Taiwan's evolving role in geopolitics and global supply chains, focusing on new forms of economic and technological cooperation.

Social Problems, Policy Making, and Inequality: We address Taiwan's challenges, such as low fertility rates, an aging society, educational inequality, welfare state policies, healthcare, and labor force dynamics, proposing relevant policy implications.

Cultural Diversity, Immigration, and Institutional Adaptation: As Taiwan transitions from a homogeneous to a heterogeneous society, we explore migration patterns, cultural diversity, and institutional adaptations to the growing immigrant population.

Taiwan in Comparative Perspective: We place Taiwan within various analytical frameworks to develop a multi-dimensional comparison with other societies.

Do Research at the Taiwan Program

Our 2025-26 Visiting Fellowship is now open for applications.

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Featured Research Projects

Taiwan’s Admission Reforms and the Promise of Social Mobility

Does holistic college admissions reduce social inequality or reinforce it? This research project shows that while Taiwan's admissions reforms create some opportunities for the working class, privileged groups still find ways to maintain their advantage, perpetuating the inequalities the reforms aim to address.

Admission Reforms and Social Mobility

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The Invisible Role of Nations in the U.S. Academic Hiring Market

Conducted jointly with the Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab at APARC, this project examines the roles of Taiwan’s intellectual elites and state actors in the U.S. academic hiring market. Using a mixed-method approach, this comparative study reveals how migration patterns and transnational networks shape hiring dynamics.

Shapers of the U.S. Academic Hiring Market

From Homogeneity to Multiculturalism: Between Social Inclusion and Exclusion

Has Taiwan shifted from a racially homogeneous country to a multicultural society? This project explores how boundaries of inclusion and exclusion are drawn and redefined amid demographic changes, examining identity construction and multiculturalism in Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Australia.

From a Homogeneous to a Heterogeneous Country

Night on a street in Taiwan with a train passing and lit buildings, shot in long exposure.

Studying Taiwan through Digital and Hybrid Methods in the Post-Pandemic Era

How can we study Taiwan in an era dominated by digital interactions? This project explores how researchers navigate both online and offline worlds to better understand Taiwanese youth and propose new ethnographic tools to transition between the digital and physical worlds in the post-pandemic era.

Studying Taiwan in a digitalized era