The Social Basis of Polarization
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The Politics of Polarization: Taiwan in Comparative Perspective
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Over the past year and more, Taiwan’s political elite has been deadlocked over the question of deepening economic relations with the People’s Republic of China. This controversial issue has led to a standoff between the executive and legislative branches, sparked a frenzy of social activism and a student occupation of the legislature, and contributed to President Ma Ying-jeou’s deep unpopularity.
On October 17-18, the Taiwan Democracy Project at CDDRL, with the generous support of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office, will host its annual conference at Stanford University to examine the politics of polarization in Taiwan.
This conference will bring together specialists from Taiwan, the U.S., and elsewhere in Asia to examine the sources and implications of this political polarization in comparative perspective. It will include a special case study of the Trade in Services Agreement with China that triggered this past year’s protests, as well as a more general overview of the politics of trade liberalization in Taiwan, prospects for Taiwan’s integration into the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other regional trade agreements, and a consideration of the implications for Taiwan’s long-term democratic future.
Conference speakers will include: Chung-shu Wu, the president of the Chung-hwa Institute of Economic Research (CIER) in Taipei; Steve Chan of the University of Colorado; Roselyn Hsueh of Temple University; Yun-han Chu, the president of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation; and Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
Panels will examine the following questions:
1. What are the sources and implications of political polarization in Taiwan, and how have these changed in recent years?
2. How does Taiwan’s recent experience compare to political polarization in other countries in Asia (e.g. South Korea, Thailand) and elsewhere (the US)?
3. To what extent does the latest political deadlock in Taiwan reflect concern over the specific issue of trade with the People’s Republic of China, versus a deeper, systemic set of problems with Taiwan’s democracy?
4. How are globalization and trade liberalization reshaping Taiwan’s domestic political economy, and what are the prospects for forging a stronger pro-trade coalition in Taiwan that transcends the current partisan divide?
The conference will take place October 17-18 in the Bechtel Conference Room in Encina Hall at Stanford University. It is free and open to the public.
Conference Resources
Conference Papers
How Cross-Strait Trade and Investment Is Affecting Income and Wealth Inequality in Taiwan by Chien-Fu Lin, National Taiwan University
Generational Differences in Attitudes towards Cross-Straits Trade by Ping-Yin Kuan, Department of Sociology & International Program in Asia-Pacific Studies, National Chengchi University
Change and the Unchanged of Polarized Politics in Taiwan by Min-Hua Huang, National Taiwan University; Center for East Asia Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution
Social Media, Social Movements and the Challenge of Democratic Governability by Boyu Chen, National Sun Yat-sen University, Institute of Political Science
Coping with the Challenge of Democratic Governance under Ma Ying-jeou by Yun-han Chu, National Taiwan University
Taiwan’s Bid for TPP Membership and the Potential Impact on Taiwan-U.S. Relations by Kwei-Bo Huang, National Chengchi University, Department of Diplomacy
In the Wake of the Sunflower Movement: Exploring the Political Consequences of Cross-Strait Integration by Pei-shan Lee, National Chung Cheng University, Political Science Department
The Roots of Thailand’s Political Polarization in Comparative Perspective by Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Chulalongkorn University; The Institute of Security and International Studies
The Role of the United States in Cross-Strait Economic Integration by Chen-Dong Tso, National Taiwan University
The China Factor and the Generational Shift over National Identity by Mark Weatherall, Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
Taiwan’s Strategy for Regional Economic Integration by Chung-Shu Wu, Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research
Polarized Electorates in South Korea and Taiwan: The Role of Political Trust under Conservative Governments by Hyunji Lee, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia
Polarization in Taiwan Politics by Steve Chan, University of Colorado, Boulder
Agenda
Conference Biographies
Taiwan Polarization Conference Flyer
Politics of Polarization in Taiwan: Conference Report
Conferences
Healthcare Entrepreneurs in East Asia – Innovations in Primary Care and Beyond
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AHPP and CEAS joint event
Three distinguished healthcare entrepreneurs will share their experiences in adding value within health systems of East Asia. Mr. Zhang, founder of iKang Healthcare Group, Inc., will share his experience with merging traditional healthcare with a versatile online platform to build a preventative healthcare service network in China. Dr. Yang will share his experience in Taiwan and China to analyze opportunities in China, and use a case study of MissionCare to exemplify Value-driven Business Transformation. Dr. Wei will share his vision for Borderless Healthcare Group.
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Prior to iKang, Mr. Zhang was a co-founder of eLong.com, a NASDAQ-listed online travel service company, and served as CEO of its China operation from 1999 to 2003. From 1998 to 1999, Mr. Zhang served as head of product development at Sohu.com, a leading NASDAQ-listed Chinese Internet company. Mr. Zhang founded the Harvard China Review in 1997 and co-founded the Harvard China Forum in 1998 while studying at Harvard University.
Mr. Zhang studied biology as an undergraduate student at Fudan University in China, and went on to receive a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Concordia College in the US before obtaining a master's degree in genetics from Harvard University. Mr. Zhang has been a member of the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Science Alumni Association Council since 2005, and also serves as Vice President of the Harvard Club of Beijing and the Shanghai Alumni Association at Fudan University.
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After graduating from National Taiwan University Medical School with an MD degree in 1994, Fred chose to pursue a career in healthcare management. He earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Harvard in 1995 and an MBA from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University, CA in 1997. Before going back to Taiwan in 1998, he worked as a financial analyst for Tenet Healthcare System, the second largest hospital chain in the US. He is currently a candidate in the doctorate program of Johns Hopkins Doctor of Public Health Part-time Program.
Since 1998, Dr. Yang has been actively serving the MissionCare Group in many important capacities, such as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operation Officer and, Chief Executive Officer.
Over the past ten years, Dr. Yang has made significant contributions not only to his company but also to the healthcare industry in Taiwan. Under his leadership, MissionCare became Taiwan’s first JCI accredited hospital, hence helping to elevate Taiwan’s healthcare quality to a higher level.
In addition to hospital management, Dr. Yang also excels at health economics, financial engineering and strategic management. In 2010, he received an Ernst & Young Taiwan Entrepreneur Award for conducting the successful listing of his company on the Taipei OTC, making it the only hospital group listed in Taiwan.
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Philippines Conference Room
Encina Hall Central, 3rd Floor.
Stanford, CA 94305
Mr. Lee Ligang Zhang
Chairman and CEO, Ikang Healthcare Croup, Inc.
Dr. Fred Hung-Jen Yang
Chairman, MissionCare, Inc
Dr. Wei Siang Yu
Founder, Borderless Healthcare Group
Seminars
Erin Baggott Carter
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ebaggott@stanford.edu
erin_baggot_carter_2025.jpg
Erin Baggott Carter (赵雅芬) is an Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Southern California and a Hoover Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. She is also a non-resident scholar at the UCSD 21st Century China Center. She has previously held fellowships at Stanford's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and the Center for International Security and Cooperation. She received a Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University.
Dr. Carter's research focuses on Chinese politics and propaganda. Her first book, Propaganda in Autocracies (Cambridge University Press), explores how political institutions determine propaganda strategies with an original dataset of eight million articles in six languages drawn from state-run newspapers in nearly 70 countries. She is currently working on a book on how domestic politics influence US-China relations. Her other work has appeared in the British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Security Studies, and International Interactions. Her work has been featured by a number of media platforms, including the New York Times and the Little Red Podcast.
Her research has been supported by the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Center for International Studies at the University of Southern California, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University, and the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University.
Dr. Carter regularly tweets about Chinese politics and propaganda at @baggottcarter. She can be reached via email at baggott [at] usc.edu or ebaggott [at] stanford.edu.
Hoover Fellow
CDDRL Affiliated Scholar
CDDRL Visiting Scholar, 2020-2021
CISAC Affiliate
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Shorenstein APARC convenes Track II dialogue on wartime history issues in Asia
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Daniel C. Sneider; Lisa Griswold
STANFORD, California – Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) will convene a Track II dialogue of academic experts from Asia, the United States and Europe to discuss the issues of wartime history that continue to impact relations in the region. The dialogue, “Wartime History Issues in Asia: Pathways to Reconciliation,” is being held on May 11-13 on a closed-door and confidential basis with the goal of offering practical ideas to help resolve tensions surrounding those issues. Shorenstein APARC has been a leader in academic research on the formation of wartime historical memory through its Divided Memories and Reconciliation project, including a ground breaking comparative study of the treatment of the war in the high school history textbooks of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Taiwan and the United States.
The core participants in this dialogue will be scholars from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States, along with Stanford University scholars. Most of these participants have significant experience in previous efforts to foster dialogue and reconciliation on wartime history issues. In addition, select experts on the European experience in dealing with wartime historical memory will contribute.
The dialogue takes place under the co-sponsorship of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat (TCS), based in Seoul. TCS is an international organization established by the governments of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 2011 to promote peace and prosperity among the three countries. Through various initiatives, the TCS strives to serve as a vital hub for cooperation and integration in Northeast Asia.
TCS representatives will attend the dialogue as observers; any expression of opinions will be in their personal capacities. It is expected that the outcome of this dialogue will include a set of forward-looking recommendations to civil society, researchers, and governments. TCS may adopt them for consideration by the governments of China, Japan and the ROK.
“It is my sincere hope that through this joint scholarly endeavor, TCS will be provided with the necessary direction and guidance to follow-up on bilateral efforts at historical dialogue over the past years,” Mr. Iwatani Shigeo, Secretary-General of TCS said in his letter of invitation. “I look forward to your insight and wisdom on ways to promote peace and reconciliation in this region.”
The Stanford dialogue could launch a new effort to resolve wartime history issues in the region. “Our further hope is that this will be an ongoing process, building on previous efforts at bilateral dialogue on history issues that will go beyond this initial meeting,” Shorenstein APARC Director Professor Gi-Wook Shin said in his invitation to participants.
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