Innovation

Authors

Gi-Wook Shin

News Type

Commentary

Date

Mon, 01/05/2026 - 12:00

Paragraphs

This essay was first published by Seoul National University's Institute for Future Strategy. You can also view the Korean version.

Technological hegemony surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a central facet of national economies and security. Global competition among countries and corporations to secure high-level talent has intensified into a matter of survival. Worldwide demand for AI talent now exceeds supply by more than threefold. In Silicon Valley, AI dominates the discussion, and competition among big tech firms to attract talent is escalating. Ultimately, the rivalry between the United States and China will be decided not only by capital or technology but by who succeeds in attracting and retaining global talent.

In South Korea, concerns over talent outflows from Korea are growing. Last year, Korea ranked fourth among the 38 OECD countries in terms of AI talent outflow. Compared to other advanced economies, Korea’s AI industrial ecosystem remains underdeveloped, while overseas firms offer better compensation and research environments. The recent phenomenon of 56 Seoul National University professors relocating abroad over the past four years, a “new brain drain,” must be understood in this broader structural context.

This reality is also clearly reflected in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index, published annually by INSEAD. Korea ranked 31st this year, a position disproportionately low relative to its economic standing, and fell seven places compared to two years ago. In particular, Korea performed poorly in attracting and retaining talent, ranking 55th and 37th, respectively. These findings suggest that, beyond economic incentives, social, cultural, and environmental factors play a decisive role in talent mobility.

Korea’s talent outflow is especially alarming because it coincides with record-low fertility rates and rapid population aging. Before this convergence hardens into irreversible decline, Korea must establish a Ministry of Human Resources to oversee a comprehensive national talent strategy and devise systemic measures for talent development, attraction, and utilization.

Talent Portfolio Theory

Cover of the book "The Four Talent Giants" by Gi-Wook Shin.

In a recent book published by Stanford University Press, The Four Talent Giants, I proposed a framework titled “talent portfolio theory.” Just as financial investment strategies adopt a portfolio approach, national talent strategies should also be portfolio-based, emphasizing diversification to minimize risk and continuous adjustment (rebalancing). In other words, just as financial portfolios are composed of cash, stocks, real estate, and bonds, talent portfolios consist of four elements—the “4B's”: brain train, brain gain, brain circulation, and brain linkage.

Moreover, just as investors design different portfolios, each country’s talent portfolio varies depending on its economic needs as well as cultural and institutional contexts. Japan, Australia, China, and India (all discussed in the book) include all four B's but have constructed distinct portfolios that contributed to their respective economic development. A portfolio approach transcends the traditional binary of “brain drain versus brain gain” and offers a more comprehensive and flexible framework for understanding national talent strategy, one that is particularly relevant for Korea.

First, “brain train” refers to developing domestic human resources through education and training. It is a fundamental element of any portfolio. In Japan’s portfolio in particular, homegrown talent accounts for a large share. Japan has favored domestically educated and trained talent over foreign or overseas-trained individuals, making them the backbone of its economic development.

By contrast, Australia places greater emphasis on “brain gain.” Brain gain involves importing foreign labor, and approximately 30 percent of Australia’s workforce is foreign-born. Until the 1970s, Australia upheld the “White Australia” policy, but a major shift toward multiculturalism subsequently elevated brain gain to a central position in its portfolio. Brain gain pathways include the study-to-work route, where international students remain for employment, and the work-to-migration route, where individuals enter on work visas and later settle. Australia has effectively utilized both pathways.

“Brain circulation” involves bringing back nationals who were educated or employed abroad, and it has been critical to China’s portfolio. Following China’s opening in the 1980s, Chinese nationals came to represent the largest share of participants in the global talent market, including international students. Approximately 80 percent of them returned to China after the 2000s. Known as haigui (sea turtles), these returnees played prominent roles in China’s science, technology, education, and economy, supported by numerous central and local government programs designed to promote talent circulation.

“Brain linkage” refers to those who do not return home after studying or working abroad but instead serve as bridges between their host countries and their homeland. By leveraging their local networks, social capital, they support their home country from abroad, making this a key component of India’s portfolio. India refers to them as a “brain bank” or “brain deposit,” exemplified by leaders of Silicon Valley big tech firms such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

However, all talent portfolios carry inherent risks. When adjustment is delayed or fails, risks can escalate into crises with negative effects on the broader economy. The experiences of the four countries illustrate this point.

Japan has faced two major risks. A talent strategy centered on domestic talent weakened its global competitiveness, while demographic decline reduced its labor pool. Although Japan actively attracted foreign students to increase brain gain, its exclusive social and cultural environment limited their integration into the workforce after graduation. While there are many reasons behind Japan’s “lost 30 years” since the 1990s, one factor was its failure to adjust a portfolio overly concentrated on domestic talent in a timely manner.

Australia has confronted rising anti-immigration sentiment and tensions with China. Public concern grew over excessive immigration and perceived threats to national identity, prompting the government to tighten immigration policies. Amid conflict with China, Australia diversified its foreign talent sources from China to India and Southeast Asia. The pandemic, which restricted cross-border mobility, dealt a severe blow to Australia’s talent attraction efforts.

In China’s case, despite aggressive brain circulation policies, top-tier global talent has remained hesitant to return, as relinquishing careers built abroad is not easy. China accordingly shifted its focus toward brain linkage for these elite individuals. At the same time, brain circulation and linkage strategies became a source of friction with the United States, and rising anti-immigration and anti-China sentiment in the U.S. and Europe reduced opportunities for study and employment abroad. Recently, China has adjusted its portfolio to strengthen domestic talent development.

India, despite its strong brain linkage, remains vulnerable to brain drain. However, as economic opportunities expand domestically, return migration has increased, gradually reshaping its portfolio composition.

What Should Korea’s Talent Portfolio Strategy Be?

What, then, about Korea? Let us examine Korea’s situation by comparing it with the four countries through the lens of talent portfolio theory.

Brain train: Human resources have been critical to Korea’s economic development, with the government playing a central role. Key examples include preferential policies for technical and commercial high schools during the 1970s under the Park Chung Hee administration to support industrialization, and efforts to internationalize universities in the 1990s as part of globalization. While less dominant than in Japan, brain train has constituted a significant share of Korea’s talent portfolio.

Brain gain: Korea has imported low- and semi-skilled labor from China and Southeast Asia to fill so-called 3D jobs, but attraction of global high-level talent has remained limited. As in Japan, social exclusivity and cultural barriers continue to impede integration.

Brain circulation: Comparable to China, brain circulation has played a vital role in Korea’s economic development. Overseas education and experience have carried strong premiums, and China explicitly benchmarked Korea and Taiwan when designing its own policies.

Brain linkage: Compared to brain circulation, brain linkage has, until recently, occupied a relatively small share of Korea’s portfolio.

Facing the AI era, low fertility, and the crisis of a new brain drain, what strategy should Korea pursue in the global competition for talent? As noted above, rather than fragmented and ad hoc measures, Korea must comprehensively review and continuously adjust its talent strategy through a portfolio approach.

Brain train: Korea must cultivate talent for future industries, particularly in science and engineering. Training should be aligned with AI-related fields to better match university output with corporate demand. The excessive concentration of top students in medical schools must be corrected. Support mechanisms to retain domestic talent should be strengthened. A recent Bank of Korea survey of 1,916 science and engineering master’s and doctoral degree holders working domestically found that 42.9 percent of science and engineering master’s and doctoral graduates are considering overseas employment within three years—an alarming signal. While brain train will remain vital, its relative share is likely to decline.

Brain gain: As demographic crises intensify and the share of brain train diminishes, the necessity and importance of brain gain will grow. In particular, Korea must actively utilize the more than 300,000 foreign students currently in the country as human and social capital. At present, universities focus merely on filling enrollment quotas, and most foreign students either leave Korea immediately after graduation or remain employed only briefly. This, too, constitutes a form of brain drain. To increase the share of brain gain in the portfolio, foreign students must be managed holistically from selection to graduation and employment. While immigration is ultimately inevitable, it must be approached cautiously and deliberately, considering its impact on the domestic labor market and anti-immigration sentiment. Australia’s successful experience offers useful lessons.

Brain circulation: Although it occupies a relatively modest share of Korea’s portfolio, a certain level should be maintained. With declining numbers of students studying abroad and reduced inclination among overseas Koreans to return, care must be taken to prevent a sharp drop in this component. Otherwise, Korea risks losing global competitiveness, as Japan’s experience warns.

Brain linkage: Alongside brain gain, brain linkage is crucial to Korea’s portfolio adjustment. Key target groups include departing domestic talent (the new brain drain), foreign students, and the diaspora. Although their likelihood of reemployment in Korea is low, their potential for exchange and collaboration with Korea remains open. Like India, Korea should foster and support brain linkage by treating them as a “brain bank” or “brain deposit.”

Toward the Establishment of a Ministry of Human Resources

At the national level, a control tower is needed to design an optimal talent portfolio and make timely adjustments. Korea should establish a Ministry of Human Resources by consolidating functions currently dispersed across the Ministry of Education (universities and graduate schools), the Ministry of Science and ICT (R&D), and the Ministry of Employment and Labor (foreign employment support). It is worth recalling that Singapore, ranked first globally in talent competitiveness, established its Ministry of Manpower early on. Expanded and reorganized from the Ministry of Labor in 1998, it played a pivotal role in transforming Singapore into a talent powerhouse. Through education and development investments, Singapore strengthened domestic talent competitiveness while opening its doors to multinational talent, and it also implemented policies to promote talent circulation and linkage. From the perspective of talent portfolio theory, Singapore represents a successful case of diversification and continuous adjustment. In the increasingly fierce global competition for talent in the AI era, nations and firms that fall behind cannot secure their future. Korea is no exception.

Gi-Wook Shin seated in his office, speaking to the camera during an interview.

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Sociologist Gi-Wook Shin Illuminates How Strategic Human Resource Development Helped Build Asia-Pacific Economic Giants

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College students wait in line to attend an information session at the Mynavi Shushoku MEGA EXPO in Tokyo, Japan.

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A New Approach to Talent Development: Lessons from Japan and Singapore

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Hero Image

Illustration of the four component of 'Talent Portfolio Theory' and technology concept.

Japan, Australia, China, and India include all four components (four B's) of a Talent Portfolio Theory – brain train, brain gain, brain circulation, and brain linkage – but have constructed distinct portfolios that contributed to their respective economic development.

Courtesy of the Institute for Future Strategy, Seoul National University.

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Subtitle

To survive in the global competition for talent while facing the AI era, low fertility, and the crisis of a new brain drain, South Korea must comprehensively review and continuously adjust its talent strategy through a portfolio approach.

Date Label

Wed, 01/07/2026 - 22:11

Policy Roundup: September 2025

Read more about Policy Roundup: September 2025

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Publication Type

Policy Briefs

Publication Date

September 30, 2025

Authors

AI-augmented Class Tackles National Security Challenges of the Future

Read more about AI-augmented Class Tackles National Security Challenges of the Future

Authors

News Type

News

Date

Tue, 05/13/2025 - 12:00

Paragraphs

Ever since the public release of ChatGPT in the fall of 2022, classrooms everywhere from grade schools to universities have started to adapt to a new reality of AI-augmented education.

As with any new technology, the integration of AI into teaching practices has come with plenty of questions: Will this help or hurt learning outcomes? Are we grading students or an algorithm? And, perhaps most fundamentally: To allow, or not to allow AI in the classroom? That is the question keeping many teachers up at night.

For the instructors of “Technology, Innovation, and Great Power Competition,” a class created and taught by Stanford faculty and staff at the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation (GKC), the answer to that question was obvious. Not only did they allow students to use AI in their coursework, they required it.

Leveraging AI for Policy Analysis

Taught by Steve Blank, Joe Felter, and Eric Volmar of the Gordian Knot Center, the class was a natural forum to discuss how emerging technologies will affect relations between the world’s most powerful countries.

Volmar, who returned to Stanford after serving in the U.S. Department of Defense, explains the logic behind requiring the use of AI:

“As we were designing this curriculum, we started from an acknowledgement that the world has changed. The AI models we see now are the worst they’re ever going to be. Everything is going to get better and become more and more integrated into our lives. So why not use every tool at our disposal to prepare students for that?”

For students used to restrictions or outright bans on using AI to complete coursework, being graded on using AI took some getting used to.

“This was the first class that I’ve had where using AI was mandatory,” said Jackson Painter, an MA student in Management Science and Engineering. “I've had classes where AI was allowed, but you had to cite or explain exactly how you used it. But being expected to use AI every week as part of the assignments was something new and pretty surprising.”

Dr. Eric Volmar teaching the new Stanford Gordian Knot Center course Entrepreneurship Inside Government.

Assigned into teams of three or four, students were given an area of strategic competition to focus on for the duration of the class, such as computing power, semiconductors, AI/machine learning, autonomy, space, and cyber security. In addition to readings, each group was required to conduct interviews with key stakeholders, with the end goal of producing a memo outlining specific policy-relevant insights about their area of focus.

But the final project was only part of the grade. The instructors also evaluated each group based on how they had used AI to form their analysis, organize information, and generate insights.

“This is not about replacing true expertise in policymaking, but it’s changing the nature of how you do it,” Volmar emphasized.

Expanding Students’ Capabilities

For the students, finding a balance between familiar habits and using a novel technology took some practice.

“Before being in this class, I barely used ChatGPT. I was definitely someone who preferred writing in my own style,” said Helen Philips, an MA student in International Policy and course assistant for the class.

“This completely expanded my understanding of what AI is possible,” Philips continued. “It really opened up my mind to how beneficial AI can be for a broad spectrum of work products.”

After some initial coaching on how to develop effective prompts for the AI tools, students started iterating on their own. Using the models to summarize and synthesize large volumes of content was a first step. Then groups started getting creative. Some used AI to create maps of the many stakeholders involved in their project, then identify areas of overlap and connection between key players. Others used the tools to create simulated interviews with experts, then use the results to better prepare for actual interviews.

This is a new type of policy work. It's not replacing expertise, but it's changing the nature of how you access it. These tools increase the depth and breadth students can take in. It's an extraordinary thing.

Eric Volmar

GKC Associate Director

For Jackson Painter, the class provided valuable practice combining more traditional techniques for developing policy with new technology.

“I really came to see how irreplaceable the interviewing process is and the value of talking to actual people,” said Jackson. “People know the little nuances that the AI misses. But then when you can combine those nuances with all the information the AI can synthesize, that’s where it has its greatest value. It’s about augmenting, not replacing, your work.”

That kind of synthesis is what the course instructors hope students take away from the class. The aim, explained Volmar, is that they will put it into practice as future leaders facing complex challenges that touch multiple sectors of government, security, and society.

“This is a new type of policy work,” he said. “It's accelerated, and it increases the depth and breadth students can take in. They can move across many different areas and combine technical research with Senate and House Floor hearings. They can take something from Silicon Valley and combine it with something from Washington. It's an extraordinary thing.”

[Left to right]: Eric Volmar, Ethan Klein, Joe Felter, Jack Faherty, and Bryce Mitchell

Stanford Gordian Knot Center students describe the cube satellite they developed for training Space Force personnel to the Secretary of the Air Force.

Steve Blank interacting with Stanford students in the classroom.

[Left to right]: Joe Felter, Steve Blank, Anna Makanju, and Eric Volmar

The fall 2024 cohort of the Gordian Knot Center’s National Security Innovation Scholars on the steps of Encina Hall at Stanford University.

Real-time Innovation

For instructors Blank, Felter, and Volmar, classes like “Technology, Innovation, and Great Power Competition” — or sister classes like the highly popular “Hacking for Defense,” and the recently launched “Entrepreneurship Inside Government” — are an integral part of preparing students to navigate ever more complex technological and policy landscapes.

“We want America to continue to be a force for good in the world. And we're going to need to be competitive across all these domains to do that. And to be competitive, we have to bring our A-game and empower creative thinking as much as possible. If we don't take advantage of these technologies, we’re going to lose that advantage,” Felter stressed.

Applying real-time innovation to the challenges of national security and defense is the driving force behind the Gordian Knot Center. Founded in fall of 2021 by Joe Felter and Steve Blank with support from principal investigators Michael McFaul and Riita Katila, the center brings together Stanford's cutting-edge resources, Silicon Valley's dynamic innovation ecosystem, and a network of national security experts to prepare the next generation of leaders.

To achieve that, Blank leveraged his background as a successful entrepreneur and creator of the lean startup movement, a methodology for launching companies that emphasizes experimentation, customer feedback, and iterative design over more traditional methods based on complex planning, intuition, and “big design up front” development.

“When I first taught at Stanford in 2011, I observed that the teaching being done about how to write a business plan in capstone entrepreneurship classes didn’t match the hands-on chaos of an actual startup. There were no entrepreneurship classes that combined experiential learning with methodology. But the goal was to teach both theory and practice.”

What we’re seeing in these classes are students who may not have otherwise thought they have a place at the table of national security. That's what we want, because the best future policymakers will understand how to leverage diverse skills and tools to meet challenges.

Joe Felter

GKC Center Director

That goal of combining theory and practice is a throughline that continues in today’s Gordian Knot Center. After the success of Blank’s entrepreneurship classes, he — alongside Pete Newell of BMNT and Joe Felter, a veteran, former senior Department of Defense official, and the current center director of the GKC — turned the principles of entrepreneurship and iteration toward government.

“We realized that university students had little connection or exposure to the problems that government was trying to solve, or the larger issues civil society was grappling with,” says Blank. “But with the right framework, students could learn directly about the nation's threats and security challenges, while innovators inside the government could see how students can rapidly iterate and deliver timely solutions to defense challenges.”

That thought led directly to the development of the “Hacking for Defense” class, now in its tenth year, and eventually to the organization of the Gordian Knot Center and its affiliate programs like the Stanford DEFCON Student Network. Based at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, the center today is a growing hub of students, veterans, alumni, industry experts, and government officials from a multiplicity of backgrounds and areas of expertise working across campus and across government to solve real problems and enact change.

Condoleezza Rice, Director of the Hoover Institution, speaking in Hacking for Defense.

Prepared for Diverse Challenges

In the classroom, the feedback cycle between real policy issues and iterative entrepreneurship remains central to the student experience. And it’s an approach that resonates with students.

“I love the fact that we’re addressing real issues in real time,” says Nuri Capanoglu, a masters student in Management Science and Engineering who took “Technology, Innovation, and Great Power Competition” in fall 2024.

He continues, “Being able to use ChatGPT in a class like this was like having a fifth teammate we could bounce ideas off, double check things, and assign to do complex literature reviews that wouldn't have been possible on our own. It's like we went from being a team of four to a team of fifty.”

Other students agree. Feedback on the class has praised the “fusion of practical hand-on learning and AI-enabled research” and deemed it a “must-take for anyone, regardless of background.”

Like many of his peers, Capanoglu is eager for more. “As I’ve been planning my future schedule, I’ve tried to find more classes like this,” he says.

For instructors like Felter and Volmar, they are equally ready to welcome more students into their courses.

“Policy is so complex now, and the stakes are so high,” acknowledged Felter. “But what we’re seeing in these classes is a passion for addressing real challenges from students who may not have otherwise thought they have a place at the table of national security or policy. That’s what we want. The best and brightest future policymakers are going to have diverse skill sets and understand how to leverage every possible tool and capability available to meet those challenges. So if you want to get involved and make a difference, come take a policy class.”

A collage of group photo from the capstone internship projects from the Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy Class of 2025.

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Students from Gordian Knot Center classes at the White House with NSC Senior Director for Technology and National Security Tarun Chhabra in Washington D.C.

Technology, Innovation and Great Power Competition course teammates Nuri Capanoglu, Elena Kopstein, Mandy Alevra, and Jackson Painter with National Security Council Senior Director for Technology and National Security Tarun Chhabra in Washington, DC.

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Subtitle

In classes taught through the Freeman Spogli Institute’s Gordian Knot Center, artificial intelligence is taking a front and center role in helping students find innovative solutions to global policy issues.

Date Label

Mon, 05/12/2025 - 16:04

Political Will as a Source of Policy Innovation

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Publication Type

Journal Articles

Publication Date

February 1, 2025

Subtitle

In an era of disruptive global challenges, from climate crises to pandemics, understanding the drivers of drastic policy innovation is paramount. This study defines drastic policy innovation as a significant shift in governmental priorities through policies untried by most jurisdictions in a country. While policy entrepreneurs are often credited with initiating change, this study argues that political will is essential for enacting and implementing such innovative policies. Political will is defined as the degree of commitment among key decision makers to enact and implement specific policies. It is characterized by three key components: authority (the power to enact and enforce policy), capacity (the resources to implement it effectively), and legitimacy (the perceived rightfulness of actions by stakeholders). Through the case of low-carbon city experimentation in China, this study examines how political will drives the adoption and implementation of these policies. The findings reveal that a high level of political will is significantly linked to more drastically innovative policies being enacted and implemented and that when political will is institutionalized, implementation continues despite leadership turnover. These insights likely apply to other policy contexts and countries, regardless of regime type, albeit with some caveats.

Journal Publisher

Policy Studies Journal

Authors

Assessing Japan’s Innovation Policy Landscape

Read more about Assessing Japan’s Innovation Policy Landscape

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Researchers engaged in robotics development. Text: "Shorenstein APARC Working Paper"

This paper considers whether Japan has lost or is losing innovation capabilities, and whether the government’s apparent interest in promoting science, technology, and innovation (STI), articulated in a series of STI public policies, ultimately contributed to strengthening Japan’s innovation capabilities.

The paper focuses on the most consistent among STI policies, namely, those related to nurturing doctorate degree holders, essential human resources for quality research and development. The paper finds that Japan is still a leading country in innovation, but its quality of innovation may be trending down. Incoherences within the STI policies, and between the STI and university reform policies, and insufficient coordination among the government, the private sector, and universities have all undermined the chance of nurturing doctorates and fully taking advantage of their talents to further innovation. The paper also notes recent changes that may contribute to reversing the trend.

To ensure that public policies achieve their intended objectives, it is essential to assess and evaluate the policies, as well as make timely evidence-based adjustments.

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Publication Type

Working Papers

Publication Date

February 10, 2025

Subtitle

Missed Opportunities to Nurture Doctoral Talent

Authors

Rie Hiraoka

Taiwan Forward: Driving Modernization Amid Shifting Global Dynamics

Saturday, March 22, 2025 | 5:45 PM -Sunday, March 23, 2025 | 2:30 AM

Flyer for the conference "Taiwan Forward." Image: aerial view of Taipei.

We have reached capacity for this event and registration has closed.

Organized by the Taiwan Program at Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC)
Co-sponsored by National Taiwan University's Office of International Affairs

As Taiwan looks to develop comprehensive strategies to promote national interests, it faces challenges shared by other advanced economies. How can Taiwan leverage AI innovation and its semiconductor prowess to drive resilience and continued growth while promoting entrepreneurship and forging advantages in emerging industries? What regulatory and policy measures are needed to scale Taiwan’s role as a global leader in biomedical and healthcare advancements while ensuring patient trust and safety? How can it address the gaps posed by rapid family changes and population aging? And how do its historical and linguistic legacies shape present narratives and identities, within Taiwan and among the Taiwanese diaspora?

Join us for a conference that explores these questions and more, featuring panel discussions with scholars from Stanford University, National Taiwan University, and other universities in Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Singapore, alongside Taiwanese industry leaders. We will examine Taiwan’s strategies for navigating modernization in a shifting global landscape — bridging technology, industry, culture, and society through interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives.

8:45 - 9:10 a.m.
Opening Session

Welcome Remarks

Shih-Torng Ding
Executive Vice President, National Taiwan University

Gi-Wook Shin
Director, Shorenstein APARC and the Taiwan Program, Stanford University

Congratulatory Remarks

Chia-Lung Lin
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan

Raymond Greene
Director, American Institute in Taiwan

9:10-10:40 a.m.
Panel 1 — Advancing Health and Healthcare: Technology and Policy Perspectives

Panelists

Kuan-Ming Chen
Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, National Taiwan University

Lynia Huang
Founder and CEO, Bamboo Technology Ltd.

Ming-Jen Lin
Distinguished Professor, Department of Economics, National Taiwan University

Siyan Yi
Associate Professor, School of Public Health, National University of Singapore

Moderator
Karen Eggleston
Director, Asia Health Policy Program, Shorenstein APARC, Stanford University

10:40-10:50 a.m.
Coffee and Tea Break

10:50 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Panel 2 — Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Technology Leadership

Panelists

Steve Chen
Co-founder, YouTube and Taiwan Gold Card Holder #1

Matthew Liu
Co-founder, Origin Protocol

Huey-Jen Jenny Su
Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Former President, National Cheng Kung University

Yaoting Wang
Founding Partner, Darwin Ventures, Taiwan

Moderator
H.-S. Philip Wong
Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor in the School of Engineering, Stanford University

12:30-1 p.m.

Perspectives from Stanford and NTU Students

Tiffany Chang
BS Student in Engineering Management & Human-Centered Design, Stanford University

Liang-Yu Ko
MA Student in Sociology, National Taiwan University

1-2 p.m.
Lunch Break

2-3:30 p.m.
Panel 3 — Interwoven Identities: Exploring Chinese Languages, Taiwanese-american Narratives, and Japanese Colonial Legacies in Taiwan

Panelists

Carissa Cheng
BA Student in International Relations, Stanford University

Yi-Ting Chung
PhD Candidate in History, Stanford University

Jeffrey Weng
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University

Moderator
Ruo-Fan Liu
Taiwan Program Postdoctoral Fellow, Shorenstein APARC, Stanford University

3:30-3:45 p.m.
Coffee and Tea Break

3:45-5:15 p.m.
Panel 4 — The Demographic Transformation: Lessons from Taiwan and Comparative Cases

Panelists

Yen-Hsin Alice Cheng
Professor, Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica

Youngtae Cho
Professor of Demography and Director, Population Policy Research Center, Seoul National University

Setsuya Fukuda
Senior Researcher, National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Japan

Moderator
Paul Y. Chang
Tong Yang, Korea Foundation, and Korea Stanford Alumni Association Senior Fellow, Shorenstein APARC, Stanford University

5:15-5:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks

Gi-Wook Shin
Director, Shorenstein APARC and the Taiwan Program, Stanford University

Paul Y. Chang is the Tong Yang, Korea Foundation, and Korea Stanford Alumni Association Senior Fellow at Shorenstein APARC and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. Chang is also the Deputy Director of the Korea Program at Shorenstein APARC and the President of the Association of Korean Sociologists in America. Chang’s research on South Korean society has appeared in flagship disciplinary and area studies journals. He is the author of Protest Dialectics: State Repression and South Korea’s Democracy Movement, 1970-1979 (Stanford University Press) and co-editor of South Korean Social Movements: From Democracy to Civil Society (Routledge). His current work examines the diversification of family structures in South Korea. Before joining Stanford, Chang served on the faculty at Harvard University, Yonsei University, and Singapore Management University. He earned his B.A. from UC Santa Cruz, M.A. degrees from Harvard Divinity School, UCLA, and Stanford, and his Ph.D. from Stanford’s Sociology Department.

Tiffany Chang, Miss Asia USA 2024 and the first Taiwanese recipient of the title, is a Stanford University junior studying Engineering Management & Human-Centered Design. She is a research assistant at APARC under Dr. Karen Eggleston and worked as an Intern at a Taiwanese AI company, Intumit Inc last summer. Tiffany plays a significant role in the Taiwanese and Asian American communities, serving as a spokesperson, emcee, influencer, and model. She has moderated high-profile events featuring notable figures such as the President of Taiwan and representatives from Chanel, and serves as a brand ambassador for esteemed Asian products. Recognized as Taiwan's "guiding light," reflecting her influential leadership within the community, Tiffany is a frequent guest on Taiwanese talk shows. Tiffany's philanthropic endeavors include founding Madhatter Knits, a global nonprofit dedicated to providing knit hats for premature babies in NICUs, showcasing her unwavering commitment to advocacy, inspiration, and empowerment, particularly for marginalized voices.

Kuan-Ming Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at National Taiwan University and Director of the Behavioral and Data Science Research Center. He is a labor economist specializing in family economics, studying how family members support one another through caregiving, financial transfers, and labor market decisions. His research covers topics such as job flexibility, intimate partner violence, long-term care, and the economic impact of family structures on well-being. Dr. Chen’s work applies empirical methods, including natural experiments and administrative data analysis, to understand labor supply dynamics and policy impacts. He earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Steve Chen is an Internet entrepreneur who co-founded YouTube. Born in Taiwan, Steve moved to the US when he was 8 years old. Steve grew up in Chicago and moved to Silicon Valley in 1999 to join PayPal, where he met Chad Hurley, the co-founder of YouTube. In 2005, Steve left PayPal to create YouTube. YouTube quickly became one of the web's fastest-growing sites and was sold to Google for $1.65 billion. Steve was the first recipient of the Gold Card, a program Taiwan launched in 2018 to attract foreign talent to move to the country. In 2019, after 20 years spent in Silicon Valley, Steve moved his family to Taiwan using the Gold Card. In Taiwan, Steve has collaborated with the government to foster a better ecosystem for local entrepreneurs to create startups.

Carissa Cheng is a Taiwanese American Stanford University senior studying International Relations, focusing on Asia. Her interest in Asian American activism began when she started making student films in high school and questioned why Asian Americans were so underrepresented behind and in front of the camera. Last year, she served as one of the Co-Chairs of Stanford’s Taiwanese Cultural Society (TCS), which hosts Stanford’s largest pan-Asian event each year: TCS Night Market. Last summer, she studied at National Taiwan University, where she also interned at AI firm Intumit as part of the Stanford Global Studies program. Through her academic and professional work, she hopes to learn how Asian countries can unite to fight global challenges such as climate change and political polarization and explore the intersections and differences between Asian and Asian American identities and cultures.

Yen-Hsin Alice Cheng is a Professor and Research Fellow at the Institute of Sociology at Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan. She is trained as a demographer and received a Ph.D. in Sociology and Demography from the Pennsylvania State University in the United States. She also spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany. Her main research interest is family demography, focusing on family changes and social inequalities. Her recent research investigates the socioeconomic differentials in marriage, cohabitation, divorce, and fertility over the past few decades in Taiwan and East Asia. Her latest works also include studies on disadvantaged youths and families, as well as comparative studies on public attitudes toward homosexuality.

Youngtae Cho (Ph.D) has been a professor of demography at the Graduate School of Public Health at Seoul National University (SNU) since 2004. Currently, he serves as the director of the SNU Population Policy Research Center. Professor Cho and his research team’s academic interests include the fundamental cause of the lowest low fertility in Korea, measuring and analyzing a new concept of population (presenting population), the impact of population dynamics on future market change, and demographic dividend issues for Vietnam and Indonesia. He achieved his Ph.D., specializing in demography, from the University of Texas-Austin in 2002. He served as a member of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy, and a member of the National Economic Advisory Council.

Yi-Ting Chung is a History Ph.D. student in the fields of East Asia and transpacific history. Born and raised in Taiwan, her concern lies in the marginalized communities who were excluded, sacrificed, and forgotten in the making of the Japanese empire. Her current research direction examines how the colonial subjects of the Japanese empire—Okinawans, Koreans, and Taiwanese—traversed the Pacific while treading the complex boundaries of nation, empire, and race between Japan and the US in the first half of the twentieth century. Yi-Ting is also deeply passionate about teaching and dedicated to bettering her pedagogy. At Stanford, she designed and taught the class “Between Empires: Modern History of Taiwan.”

Shih-Torng Ding is the Executive Vice President and a distinguished professor at National Taiwan University, specializing in animal nutrition, molecular regulation, smart agriculture, agricultural biotechnology, and industry development strategies. His outstanding research has earned him numerous prestigious honors.

With extensive experience in government advisory roles, Dr. Ding has served on the Board of Science and Technology (Executive Yuan), the Research Advisory Committee for the Council of Agriculture, and BioHub Taiwan. As NTU’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Ding led key educational innovations, including a specialization-focused learning system, future classrooms, and enhancements to NTU COOL. Now, as Executive Vice President, he advances teaching and learning, sustainability initiatives, school development research, bilingual education, and international exchanges.

Furthermore, Dr. Ding serves as the CEO of National Taiwan University System, working to foster collaboration among three universities and expand educational resources for students.

Karen Eggleston is a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Asia Health Policy Program at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at FSI. She is also a Fellow with the Center for Innovation in Global Health at Stanford University School of Medicine, and a Faculty Research Fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Eggleston earned her PhD in public policy from Harvard University and has MA degrees in economics and Asian studies from the University of Hawaii and a BA in Asian studies summa cum laude (valedictorian) from Dartmouth College. Eggleston studied in China for two years and was a Fulbright scholar in Korea. Her research focuses on government and market roles in the health sector and Asia health policy, especially in China, India, Japan, and Korea; healthcare productivity; and the economics of the demographic transition.

Setsuya Fukuda is a Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research in Japan, where he conducts demographic research on the inter-relationships between gender, family formation, and family policy. His current research focuses on gender role division, educational assortative mating, fertility, and intergenerational transfers in international comparative settings, looking, in particular, at how Japan’s gender structure and intergenerational relations are poised to change in relation to population decline, new family policies and technological development.

Raymond F. Greene assumed duties as the Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on July 8, 2024. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. Mr. Greene is a member of the State Department’s Senior Foreign Service with the personal rank of Minister-Counselor and has spent his entire 28-year career advancing U.S. diplomatic, economic, and security engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. In Washington, Mr. Greene was Director for Japan and East Asian Economic Affairs at the National Security Council and Director of the Office of Economic Policy in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. In the latter capacity, Mr. Greene was elected as Chair of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum’s Economic Committee.

Overseas, Mr. Greene served as U.S. Consul General in Chengdu, China, Okinawa, Japan, and as the Deputy Director at AIT. Earlier assignments included Chief of the Political-Military Affairs Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Deputy Chief of the Political Section at AIT Taipei, and as a political officer in Tokyo and Manila. Mr. Greene was the first Baker-Kato Diplomatic Exchange Fellow at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo. He also was assigned as a State Department Faculty Advisor at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He holds a B.A. (Government/Japanese) and M.P.M. (International Security and Economic Policy) from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Lynia Huang is the CEO and founder of Bamboo Technology Ltd., a company focused on advancing mental health care through AI-driven solutions. With a background in military psychological counseling and a strong commitment to mental health advocacy, she has dedicated her career to integrating technology with psychological support. Lynia holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from National Taiwan University. She is also a pioneer in the development of AI-based mental health services, including the HereHear virtual therapist app, which has gained global recognition. Lynia’s passion for improving emotional well-being through accessible technology is evident in her work with various organizations, including collaborations with hospitals and corporations. She believes that mental health support should be universal and strives to make these services available to everyone, especially in underserved communities.

Liang-Yu (Louis) Ko is currently an MA student in the Department of Sociology at National Taiwan University. His research centers on political sociology, focusing on state-society relations, political culture, and public opinion. He investigates how political trends interact with cultural and institutional factors, particularly in areas such as polarization, nationalism, and "culture wars." He is always open to connection and collaborative research.

Chia-Lung Lin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan

Chia-Lung Lin possesses extensive experience in government, academia, and industry. He currently serves as minister of foreign affairs of Taiwan, vice chairman of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, and chairman of the International Cooperation and Development Fund. Previously, he held positions including secretary-general of the Office of the President, ambassador-at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, minister of transportation and communications, mayor of Taichung City, legislator, minister of the Government Information Office, National Security Council advisor, assistant professor at National Chung Cheng University, research associate at the United Nations University, and Fulbright scholar in the United States. He is also a cofounder of Taiwan Thinktank and honorary chairman of Mt. Dadu Industrial Innovation Foundation.

Minister Lin holds a PhD in political science from Yale University in the United States, as well as dual master’s degrees in political science and philosophy. Additionally, he earned a master’s and bachelor’s degree in political science from National Taiwan University.

Ming-Jen Lin earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago in 2002. His research interests span multiple fields, including data science and economics, demography and health, law and economics, and labor economics, with particular interest in interdisciplinary collaboration within the social sciences. His research appears in journals such as American Economic Review, Nature Communication, Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Development Economics, and International Economic Review.

Currently, he serves as a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Economics at National Taiwan University. He previously held the government position of Deputy Executive Secretary at the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Director at the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, both at the National Science and Technology Council. He has also served as the Chair of the Department of Economics at National Taiwan University and President of the Taiwan Economic Association.

Matthew Liu is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Origin Protocol. He is also active as an angel investor and advisor to dozens of startups. Previously, he served as VP of product at Qwiki and Bonobos. Matthew started his career as the third product manager at YouTube. He graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering and M.S. in management science and engineering from Stanford University.

Ruo-Fan Liu is the inaugural Taiwan Program Postdoctoral Fellow at Shorenstein APARC, Stanford Univerity. She earned her PhD in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research explores how Taiwan's holistic admission reforms created uncertainties for students and how parents and teachers leveraged cultural and social capital to restore admissions advantages. A Fulbright recipient and former Congress party negotiator, Ruo-Fan is also the author of Let the Timber Creek: An Alternative School’s Utopia for Coming Generations, recognized as one of the top ten non-fiction books by China Times. Her work has been published in International Studies in Sociology of Education and Ethnography, and she also investigates transformative meritocracy and credentialism in East Asia. At APARC, Ruo-Fan is transforming her dissertation, When Ladders Move, into a book manuscript, while expanding her research on uncertainty and legitimacy to offer practical recommendations for different nations’ policies and talent flows.

Gi-Wook Shin is the William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea in Sociology and a senior fellow of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. He has served as director of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center since 2005, and as founding director of the Korea Program since 2001. His research concentrates on social movements, nationalism, and international relations, focusing on Korea and Asia. He is the author/editor of numerous books and articles, including South Korea’s Democracy in Crisis: The Threats of Illiberalism, Populism, and Polarization and The North Korean Conundrum: Balancing Human Rights and Nuclear Security. His new book, Talent Giants in the Asia-Pacific Century, a comparative study of talent strategies of Japan, Australia, China, and India, will be published by Stanford University Press in 2025.

In 2023, Shin launched the Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab (SNAPL), an initiative committed to addressing emergent social, cultural, economic, and political challenges in Asia. In May 2024, he launched the new Taiwan Program at APARC and currently serves as the program director.

Shin previously taught at the University of Iowa and the University of California, Los Angeles. He holds a B.A. from Yonsei University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Washington.

Huey-Jen Jenny Su was the first and only female president in the 95-year history of National Cheng Kung University (2015–2023) and a professor of Environmental Health (1992–2024). In 2018, the scientific journal Nature recognized her as one of the 10 “Science Stars of East Asia.” She received the 2017 Leadership Award in Public Health Practice from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the 2022 Outstanding Professional Global Corporate Sustainability Award, the first recipient from the academic.

Dr. Su actively fosters academia-industry collaborations and international partnerships, strengthening Taiwan as a key global player in sustainability, multidisciplinary research, and technological innovation. Currently, she leads strategic planning initiatives for the Ministry of Education’s University Academic Alliance in Taiwan and serves on the National Climate Change Committee, Office of the President, R.O.C. (Taiwan). Her leadership drives sustainability and resilience in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

Yao-Ting Wang is an experienced entrepreneur and technology visionary. Yaoting co-founded two successful technology startup companies in Silicon Valley. In 1995, he co-founded Numerical Technologies, Inc. (San Jose, California) (NASDAQ:NMTC) based on his doctoral research for IC manufacturing. As the Chief Technology Officer and Senior VP of Engineering, Yaoting was active in company operations and helped take it public in 2000. The company was later acquired by Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ:SNPS) in 2003.

In 2004, Yaoting co-founded Clear Shape Technologies, Inc. (Sunnyvale, California) and was the Chairman and Chief Technology Officer. The company was a pioneer in the space of design for manufacturing (DFM) and recognized by multiple prestigious awards including the EDN Innovation of the Year Award (2007), the EE Times Annual Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Award (2007), one of the top 10 semiconductor companies' Partner Award (2007) and the EE Times 60 Emerging Startups (2007). The company was acquired by Cadence (NASDAQ:CDNS) in August of 2007.

In August of 2008, Yaoting moved back to Taiwan and co-founded Darwin Ventures with Simon Fang.

Yaoting received his Ph.D. and M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University, and his B.S. in electrical engineering from National Taiwan University.

Jeffrey Weng has been an Assistant Professor of Sociology at National Taiwan University since 2021. His research centers on language and nationalism in China and Taiwan, and his work has appeared in the Journal of Asian Studies, Theory and Society, and the European Journal of Sociology.

Weng holds a B.A. from Yale University and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining NTU, he was a Shorenstein Postdoctoral Fellow in Contemporary Asia at Stanford University's Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center.

H.-S. Philip Wong is the Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor in the School of Engineering at Stanford University. He joined Stanford University as Professor of Electrical Engineering in 2004. From 1988 to 2004, he was with the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center. From 2018 to 2020, he was on leave from Stanford and was the Vice President of Corporate Research at TSMC, the world's largest semiconductor foundry, and since 2020 has remained TSMC's Chief Scientist in a consulting, advisory role.

He is a Fellow of the IEEE and received the IEEE Andrew S. Grove Award, the IEEE Technical Field Award to honor individuals for outstanding contributions to solid-state devices and technology, as well as the IEEE Electron Devices Society J.J. Ebers Award, the society’s highest honor to recognize outstanding technical contributions to the field of electron devices that have made a lasting impact.

He is the founding Faculty Co-Director of the Stanford SystemX Alliance – an industrial affiliate program focused on building systems and the faculty director of the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility – a shared facility for device fabrication on the Stanford campus that serves academic, industrial, and governmental researchers across the U.S. and around the globe, sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation. He is the Principal Investigator of the Microelectronics Commons California-Pacific-Northwest AI Hardware Hub, a consortium of over 40 companies and academic institutions funded by the CHIPS Act. He is a member of the US Department of Commerce Industrial Advisory Committee on Microelectronics.

Siyan Yi is an Associate Professor and UHS-SPH Integrated Research Programme Leader, National University of Singapore Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. He also serves as Director of KHANA Center for Population Health Research in Cambodia and Adjunct Associate Professor at Touro University California, the United States. Dr. Yi is a medical doctor and an infectious disease epidemiologist by training. He received his Ph.D. from the School of International Health of the University of Tokyo in 2010. He was a 2011-12 postdoctoral fellow at the Asia Health Policy Program at Shorenstein APARC, Stanford University.

His implementation research program focuses on developing and evaluating community-based innovative interventions for improving access to prevention, treatment, and care services for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, sexual and reproductive health, and maternal and child health among vulnerable and marginalized populations in Southeast Asia.

THIS CONFERENCE IS HELD IN TAIPEI, TAIWAN, ON SUNDAY, MARCH 23, 2025, FROM 8:45 AM TO 5:30 PM, TAIPEI TIME

International Conference Hall, Tsai Lecture Hall
College of Law
National Taiwan University

No.1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road
Taipei City, 10617
Taiwan

Conferences

Date Label

Wed, 01/29/2025 - 14:30

APARC Unveils New Taiwan Program: Spearheading Interdisciplinary Research and Partnerships to Propel Taiwan's Next Stage of Development

Read more about APARC Unveils New Taiwan Program: Spearheading Interdisciplinary Research and Partnerships to Propel Taiwan's Next Stage of Development

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Noa Ronkin

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News

Date

Thu, 03/21/2024 - 12:00

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Stanford University's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) proudly announces the launch of the Taiwan Program, which will serve as an interdisciplinary research and education hub on contemporary Taiwan. The program will investigate Taiwan’s strides as a modernization exemplar and the challenges its economy and society face in seeking to drive dynamism and growth in an era marked by shifting global relations. On May 2, 2024, APARC will host the program’s inaugural conference, Innovate Taiwan: Shaping the Future of a Postindustrial Society. Registration for the conference is now open.

Mirroring the dilemmas of other postindustrial societies, Taiwan today finds itself pressed by multiple imperatives. These include the need to generate novel economic competitiveness models amid rapid technological advancement and declining multilateral cooperation, address changing demographic realities, foster cultural diversity and tolerance, fulfill the action pathway to achieve net-zero emissions, and create the institutional and policy conditions to enable these adaptations. The Taiwan Program will explore how Taiwan can effectively address these challenges and seize the opportunities they afford for it to remain at the forefront of vibrancy and progress in the 21st century.

Housed within APARC, part of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), the Taiwan Program will pursue a mission encompassing research endeavors, education and learning initiatives, and exchange opportunities. By investing in these three core areas, the program will produce interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research to understand and address Taiwan’s challenges of economic, social, technological, environmental, and institutional adaptation in the coming decades; prepare the next generation of students to become experts on Taiwan; and facilitate meaningful interactions between Stanford faculty, researchers, and students with their Taiwanese counterparts and with policy experts, industry leaders, and civil society stakeholders in Taiwan. In all these areas, the program will leverage APARC’s expertise and networks and build upon the center’s strong track record of academic research and policy engagement with East Asia. This includes leveraging the proven model and rich experience of APARC’s esteemed programs on contemporary China, Japan, and Korea.

We aim to foster research-practice partnerships between the United States and Taiwan while contributing to Taiwan's long-term development.

Gi-Wook Shin

APARC Director

"The Taiwan Program underscores our commitment to deepening understanding of and engagement with Taiwan,” said Gi-Wook Shin, the William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea and director of APARC. “We aim to foster research-practice partnerships between the United States and Taiwan while contributing to Taiwan's long-term development," added Shin, who is also a professor of sociology, a senior fellow at FSI, and director of the Korea Program at APARC.

The program will be led by a distinguished scholar of contemporary Taiwan to be recruited by the university in an international search. APARC will soon announce its inaugural postdoctoral fellow on contemporary Taiwan, who will help organize the program’s activities in the next academic year. The new program is made possible thanks to tremendous support from several Stanford donors who care deeply about Taiwan’s role on the global stage and U.S.-Taiwan relations.

"We are profoundly grateful to our supporters for their partnership and commitment to advancing understanding of Taiwan and the U.S.-Taiwan relationship in this pivotal Asia-Pacific region," noted Shin. “This new investment will help us establish a world-leading program on Taiwan at Stanford.”

To inaugurate the new program, APARC will host the conference "Innovate Taiwan: Shaping the Future of a Postindustrial Society." Held on May 2 at the Bechtel Conference Center in Encina Hall, this full-day event will convene esteemed academic and industry leaders to engage in panel discussions covering topics such as migration, culture, and societal trends; health policy and biotechnology; economic growth and innovation; and the dynamics of domestic and international Taiwanese industries. Visit the conference webpage to learn more and register to attend in person.

Robert Carlin, Siegfried Hecker, and Victor Cha

News

A Perilous Crossroads: Deciphering North Korea's Escalating Belligerence

Amid North Korea’s increasing provocations, APARC’s Korea Program hosted three experts — Robert Carlin, Victor Cha, and Siegfried Hecker — to consider whether Pyongyang plans to go to war.

A Perilous Crossroads: Deciphering North Korea's Escalating Belligerence

Portrait of Kiyoteru Tsutsui and a silhouette of the Toyko Syline at night.

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Decoding Japan's Pulse: Insights from the Stanford Japan Barometer

The Asahi Shimbun is publishing a series highlighting the Stanford Japan Barometer, a periodic public opinion survey co-developed by Stanford sociologist Kiyoteru Tsutsui and Dartmouth College political scientist Charles Crabtree, which unveils nuanced preferences and evolving attitudes of the Japanese public on political, economic, and social issues.

Decoding Japan's Pulse: Insights from the Stanford Japan Barometer

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A Pivotal Partnership: The U.S.-Japan Alliance, Deterrence, and the Future of Taiwan

A panel discussion co-hosted by Shorenstein APARC and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA examined the key dynamics at play in the unfolding regional competition over power, influence, and the fate of Taiwan.

A Pivotal Partnership: The U.S.-Japan Alliance, Deterrence, and the Future of Taiwan

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The program will explore policy-relevant approaches to address Taiwan’s contemporary economic and societal challenges and advance U.S.-Taiwan partnerships.

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Thu, 09/26/2024 - 10:35

Innovate Taiwan: Shaping the Future of a Postindustrial Society

Thursday, May 2, 2024 | 9:00 AM -Thursday, May 2, 2024 | 5:30 PM

*Please note, registration for this event has closed.*

A conference to inaugurate the Taiwan Program at Shorenstein APARC

As Taiwan seeks to stimulate vitality and progress in an era defined by shifting global dynamics, it grapples with a myriad of challenges akin to those that other postindustrial societies face. How can Taiwan innovate its economic competitiveness and refashion collaboration networks amid rapid technological transformations and diminishing globalization? What strategies can it employ to adapt to vast demographic changes? How can it cultivate cultural diversity?

Join us in person to discuss these questions and more at a full-day conference celebrating the launch of the new Taiwan Program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center.

Hear from esteemed academic and industry leaders as they delve into topics including demography and migration, societal trends, health policy and biotechnology, economic growth and innovation, and the dynamics of domestic and international Taiwanese industries.

Watch this space for updates on the agenda and confirmed speakers.

9:00 - 9:15 a.m.
Opening Session

Opening remarks

Gi-Wook Shin
Director of Shorenstein APARC, Stanford University

Congratulatory remarks

Richard Saller
President of Stanford University

9:15-10:45 a.m.
Panel 1: Migration, Culture, and Societal Trends

Panelists

Pei-Chia Lan
Distinguished Professor of Sociology, National Taiwan University

Ruo-Fan Liu
Ph.D. Candidate at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Incoming Postdoctoral Fellow at Shorenstein APARC, Stanford University

Jing Tsu
Jonathan D. Spence Chair Professor of Comparative Literature & East Asian Languages and Literatures, Yale University

Moderator
Kiyoteru Tsutsui
Deputy Director of Shorenstein APARC and Director of the Japan Program, Stanford University

10:45-11:00 a.m.
Coffee and Tea Break

11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Panel 2: Health Policy and Biotechnology

Panelists

Ted Chang
CTO of Quanta Computer

Bobby Sheng
Group CEO and Chairman of Bora Pharmaceuticals

C. Jason Wang
Director of the Center for Policy, Outcomes and Prevention
LCY Tan Lan Lee Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy, Stanford University

Moderator
Karen Eggleston
Director of the Asia Health Policy Program, Shorenstein APARC, Stanford University

12:30-2:00 p.m.
Lunch Break

2:00-3:00 p.m.
Panel 3: Taiwan at Stanford and Beyond

Panelists

Tiffany Chang
Undergraduate Student in Management Science and Engineering
Research Assistant at Shorenstein APARC , Stanford University

Carissa Cheng
Undergraduate Student in International Relations, Stanford University

Yi-Ting Chung
Ph.D. Student in History, Stanford University

Moderator
Marco Widodo
Undergraduate Student in Political Science, Stanford University

3:00-3:30 p.m.
Coffee and Tea Break

3:30-5:00 p.m.
Panel 4: Economic Growth and Innovation

Panelists

Steve Chen
Co-Founder of YouTube and Taiwan Gold Card Holder #1

Jason Hsu
Edward Mason Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School
Former Legislator of the Legislative Yuan Taiwan

CY Huang
Founder and President of FCC Partners

Rose Tsou
Former Head of Verizon Media International and E-Commerce
Former Regional Head of Yahoo APAC
Former General Manager of MTV Taiwan

Moderator
Larry Diamond
Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
William L. Clayton Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University

5:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Social Networking Session

Ted Chang is a highly accomplished Chief Technology Officer, Vice President and General Manager of Quanta Computer, which is the world’s largest computer ODM and laptop computer maker. He has more than 20 years of experience in leading global corporations and has been instrumental in driving corporate technology strategy and global research partnerships. In addition, Dr. Chang is responsible for overseeing the Quanta Research Institute (QRI) for advanced research and BU12, a business unit dedicated to the integration of AI, IoT, and cloud computing as a platform solution for smart transformation in the fields of healthcare, medicine, and agriculture. Dr. Chang has been appointed as representative of Taiwan for APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) since 2019.

Tiffany Chang, Miss Asia USA 2024 and the first Taiwanese recipient of the title, is a Stanford University sophomore studying Engineering Management & Human-Centered Design. She is a research assistant at APARC under Dr. Karen Eggleston and worked as an Intern at a Taiwanese AI company, Intumit Inc last summer. Tiffany plays a significant role in the Taiwanese and Asian American communities, serving as a spokesperson, emcee, influencer, and model. She has moderated high-profile events featuring notable figures such as the President of Taiwan and representatives from Chanel, and serves as a brand ambassador for esteemed Asian products. Recognized as Taiwan's "guiding light," reflecting her influential leadership within the community, Tiffany is a frequent guest on Taiwanese talk shows. Tiffany's philanthropic endeavors include founding Madhatter Knits, a global nonprofit dedicated to providing knit hats for premature babies in NICUs, showcasing her unwavering commitment to advocacy, inspiration, and empowerment, particularly for marginalized voices.

Steve Chen is an Internet entrepreneur who co-founded YouTube. Born in Taiwan, Steve moved to the US when he was 8 years old. Steve grew up in Chicago and moved to Silicon Valley in 1999 to join PayPal. At PayPal, Steve met Chad Hurley, the co-founder of YouTube. In 2005, Steve left PayPal to create YouTube. YouTube quickly became one of the web's fastest-growing sites and was sold to Google for $1.65 billion. Steve was the first recipient of the Gold Card, a program launched in 2018 by Taiwan to attract foreign talent to move to the country. In 2019, after 20 years spent in Silicon Valley, Steve moved his family to Taiwan using the Gold Card. In Taiwan, Steve has collaborated with the government to foster a better ecosystem for local entrepreneurs to create startups.

Carissa Cheng is a Taiwanese American junior studying International Relations with a focus in Asia. Her interest in Asian American activism began when she started making student films in high school and questioned why Asian Americans were so underrepresented both behind and in front of the camera. Last year, she served as one of the Co-Chairs of Stanford’s Taiwanese Cultural Society (TCS), which hosts Stanford’s largest pan-Asian event each year: TCS Night Market. This summer, she is thrilled to be studying abroad at National Taiwan University, where she will also intern at AI firm Intumit as part of the Stanford Global Studies program. Through her academic and professional work, she hopes to learn how countries in Asia can unite to fight global challenges such as climate change and political polarization, as well as explore the intersections and differences between Asian and Asian American identities and cultures.

Larry Diamond is the William L. Clayton Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), and a Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education at Stanford University. He is also a professor, by courtesy, of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford. He leads the Hoover Institution’s programs on China’s Global Sharp Power and on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region. At FSI, he leads the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy, based at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, which he directed for more than six years. He also co-leads with (Eileen Donahoe) the Global Digital Policy Incubator, based at FSI’s Cyber Policy Center. He is the founding co-editor of the Journal of Democracy and serves as a senior consultant at the International Forum for Democratic Studies of the National Endowment for Democracy. His research focuses on democratic trends and conditions around the world and on policies and reforms to defend and advance democracy.

Karen Eggleston is Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University and Director of the Stanford Asia Health Policy Program at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at FSI. She is also a Fellow with the Center for Innovation in Global Health at Stanford University School of Medicine, and a Faculty Research Fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Eggleston earned her PhD in public policy from Harvard University and has MA degrees in economics and Asian studies from the University of Hawaii and a BA in Asian studies summa cum laude (valedictorian) from Dartmouth College. Eggleston studied in China for two years and was a Fulbright scholar in Korea. Her research focuses on government and market roles in the health sector and Asia health policy, especially in China, India, Japan, and Korea; healthcare productivity; and the economics of the demographic transition.

Jason Hsu is the Edward Mason Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School where he focuses on technology, geopolitics, and international politics. At Harvard, he gives lectures and leads seminars on Taiwan and semiconductors. Formerly, he served as Legislator At-Large in Taiwan’s national parliament where he worked on policy and legislation on AI, cybersecurity, semiconductor, defense and foreign affairs. Jason Hsu is a Draper-Hill Summer Fellow at the Center for Democracy, Development and Rule of Law at Stanford University and a recipient of Eisenhower Presidential Fellowship in 2022.

CY Huang is President of FCC Partners, a leading investment bank in Asia with offices in Taipei, Shanghai, Singapore, and Ho Chi Minh City. He is also the Vice-Chairman of K.T. Li Foundation, which has strong connections with the semiconductor industry. In addition, he is Founding Chairman of Taiwan Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Council (MAPECT), and Founder of Southeast-Asia Impact Alliance (SIA). Mr. Huang is one of the most experienced investment bankers in Asia, with over 35 years of experience in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. Mr. Huang is an influential opinion leader and has been extensively interviewed by international media.

Pei-Chia Lan is Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Founding Director of Global Asia Research Center (2017-2023) at National Taiwan University. She will be a CASBS (Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences) fellow at Stanford University (2023-2024). She was a Yenching-Radcliffe fellow at Harvard University, a Fulbright scholar at New York University, a visiting professor at the Waseda Institute for Advanced Study, Kyoto University, and Tubingen University, IIAS at Leiden University, and a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley. Her major publications include Global Cinderellas: Migrant Domestics and Newly Rich Employers in Taiwan (Duke 2006, won a Distinguished Book Award from the Sex and Gender Section of the American Sociological Association and ICAS Book Prize: Best Study in Social Science from the International Convention of Asian Scholars) and Raising Global Families: Parenting, Immigration, and Class in Taiwan and the US (Stanford 2018).

Ruo-Fan Liu is a doctoral candidate in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She will join Stanford as a postdoctoral fellow in July 2024. Her research examines the types of uncertainties students encounter after Taiwan’s holistic admission reforms, and how parents and teachers activate cultural and social capital to help students regain class advantages. Her work has appeared in International Studies in Sociology of Education and Ethnography. Another line of her research focuses on meritocracy and credentialism in East Asia, revealing how the symbolic power of credentials travels through online platforms to reinforce people’s beliefs about who is superior. At Stanford, she will turn her dissertation, Sticky or Shaken, into a book manuscript. She will also expand her research agenda on uncertainty into organizational hiring and talent flows.

Richard Saller became Stanford University’s twelfth president on September 1, 2023. Dr. Saller is a classics scholar who has previously served in several academic leadership roles, including as dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford, provost of the University of Chicago, and dean of the Social Sciences Division of the University of Chicago. A dedicated teacher, Dr. Saller has also published widely on Roman social, economic, and cultural history.

Bobby Sheng is is the Chairman and CEO of Bora Pharmaceuticals, the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Taiwan. The company, a beacon of excellence listed on the TWSE, operates across the globe with 9 manufacturing sites in Taiwan and North America. Raised in Southern California, Sheng's educational foundation was laid at the University of California, Berkeley, from where he launched into a career that would be marked by unprecedented entrepreneurial achievements, ranging from consumer health, technology, media and private equity. Bora's business model, which encompasses CDMO and Commercial Rx business, has been widely lauded for its rapid growth through M&A and culture for excellence. The company has earned several prestigious awards under Sheng's guidance, including the 2024 Presidential Award for "The Most Innovative Company of the Year”.

Gi-Wook Shin is the William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea in Sociology and a senior fellow of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. He has served as director of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center since 2005, and as founding director of the Korea Program since 2001. His research concentrates on social movements, nationalism, and international relations, focusing on Korea and Asia. Shin is the author/editor of numerous books and articles, including South Korea’s Democracy in Crisis: The Threats of Illiberalism, Populism, and Polarization and The North Korean Conundrum: Balancing Human Rights and Nuclear Security. Shin’s current research initiatives include Global Talent Flows and Nationalism and Racism, focusing on the Asia-Pacific region. Shin previously taught at the University of Iowa and the University of California, Los Angeles. He holds a BA from Yonsei University and an MA and PhD from the University of Washington.

Rose Tsou has more than 20 years of international leadership experience in digital media, advertising and e-commerce. She was the Head of Verizon Media International and E-Commerce in 2018-2020 after Verizon acquired Yahoo in 2017, responsible for all consumer products, advertising sales and e-commerce in markets across EMEA, LATAM and APAC. Prior to that, Rose Tsou ran Yahoo APAC as the regional head for 10 years expanding Yahoo’s operations and revenue. She also built full-fledged e-commerce businesses in Taiwan that continued to be one of the most popular shopping destinations. Prior to Yahoo, Rose was General Manager of MTV Taiwan leading MTV to become the most popular music channel in the country. Rose is known for creating a strong people culture that attracts and develops top industry talent.

Jing Tsu is Jonathan D. Spence Chair Professor of Comparative Literature & East Asian Languages and Literatures. She specializes in modern Chinese literature & culture and Sinophone studies, from the 19th century to the present. Her research spans literature, intellectual history, science and technology, diaspora and migration studies, and global affairs and international studies. At Yale, she offers graduate seminars on sympathy, world Sinophone literature, and approaches to East Asian intellectual and literary history, science and technology. From mainland China to Southeast Asia, Taiwan to Europe, her area of expertise covers the Sinophone world at large. She is a 2023 Pulitzer Finalist for her most recent book, Kingdom of Characters: The Language Revolution That Made China Modern (Riverhead, 2022).

Kiyoteru Tsutsui is the Henri H. and Tomoye Takahashi Professor and Senior Fellow in Japanese Studies at Shorenstein APARC, the Director of the Japan Program and Deputy Director at APARC, a senior fellow of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and Professor of Sociology, all at Stanford University. Tsutsui received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Kyoto University and earned an additional master’s degree and Ph.D. from Stanford’s sociology department in 2002. Tsutsui’s research interests lie in political/comparative sociology, social movements, globalization, human rights, and Japanese society. His most recent publication, Human Rights and the State: The Power of Ideas and the Realities of International Politics (Iwanami Shinsho, 2022), was awarded with the 2022 Ishibashi Tanzan Award and the 44th Suntory Prize for Arts and Sciences.

C. Jason Wang is a Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy and director of the Center for Policy, Outcomes, and Prevention at Stanford University. He received his B.S. from MIT, M.D. from Harvard and Ph.D. in policy analysis from RAND. After completing his pediatric residency training at UCSF, he worked in Greater China with McKinsey and Company, during which time he performed multiple studies in the Asian healthcare market. In 2000, he was recruited to serve as the project manager for the Taskforce on Reforming Taiwan's National Health Insurance System. His fellowship training in health services research included the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and the National Research Service Award Fellowship at UCLA. Prior to coming to Stanford in 2011, he was an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health (2006-2010) and Associate Professor (2010-2011) at Boston University and Boston Medical Center.

Marco Widodo is a sophomore at Stanford University majoring in Political Science, with concentrations in International Relations and Data Science. His background lies in historical studies of comparative race and ethnicity, particularly in understanding colonial legacies and their influence on intergroup relations and nation-building. His current research interests center on comparative studies of democracy and development, especially with how security issues affect democratic governance and state stability. This summer, he will be working as a research assistant at APARC, studying nationalism and racism in Asia. Hailing from Jakarta, Indonesia, he brings a unique Southeast Asian perspective to the student panel as a moderator. His recent academic trip to Taiwan has equipped him with insights into the region from a variety of perspectives—from students to government officials to policy analysts.

The submission of a registration does not guarantee admission to the event. Registrants will be notified of admission status and arrival details by April 22.
Email inquiries about admission status will not get replies.
Seating is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Please plan accordingly.
This event will be photographed and videotaped, and by entering this venue, you consent to Stanford University and approved media using your image and likeness. Any photography and videography may not be available for future viewing at a later date.

Parking Information

Click here for instructions to purchase visitor parking. The closest visitor parking to Encina Hall can be found at the following:

Track House Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7295)
Memorial Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7213)
Littlefield Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7282)
Knight Management Center Garage (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7207)

For general inquiries, contact aparc-communications@stanford.edu.

All media representatives interested in covering the event or accessing the event site should contact aparc-communications@stanford.edu by 5 p.m. PT Friday, April 26, and include with their request a copy of a valid press credential from an established news organization. Freelance reporters should email a copy of a signed letter from the news organization for which they are working.

Press seating is limited. We will send notifications of press credential accreditation and admission status by Tuesday, April 30.

Bechtel Conference Center
Encina Hall, First floor, Central, S150
616 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305

Conferences

Rie Hiraoka

Read more about Rie Hiraoka

rh21@stanford.edu

Visiting Scholar at APARC, 2024

rie_hiraoka_2024_headshot.jpg Ph.D.

Rie Hiraoka joined the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) as visiting scholar in January 2024 for one calendar year. She is currently a professor at Kyoto University for Advanced Sciences, as well as an advisor for the Institute of Future Initiatives and consulting general manager at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. Previously, she served as a director at the Asian Development Bank. While at APARC, she will be conducting research regarding public policies for innovation, science and technology development.

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Thu, 09/05/2024 - 15:36

A Summit Discussion with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea

Friday, November 17, 2023 | 2:30 PM -Friday, November 17, 2023 | 3:10 PM

Encina Hall backdrop with text "A Summit Discussion with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea"

This event is at full capacity and has closed for registration. There is no waitlist.
No walk-ins will be accepted.

The Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) is honored to host the Prime Minister of Japan, Kishida Fumio, and the President of the Republic of Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, for a special summit discussion. The event co-hosts are the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and Hoover Institution.

Portraits of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea.

Following remarks by Prime Minister Kishida and President Yoon on the challenges and future of science and technology, they will engage in a moderated conversation with Secretary Condoleezza Rice, the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution. Discussion topics include decarbonization and clean energy, quantum technology, and startup innovation.

Speakers will also include Professors Gi-Wook Shin and Kiyoteru Tsutsui, Director and Deputy Director of APARC, respectively, and Professor Michael McFaul, Director of FSI.

This historic gathering on the Stanford campus of the leaders of the two key U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific — a convening that would have been almost unthinkable just over a year ago — follows a period in which the two leaders have made extraordinary progress in strengthening Japan-ROK bilateral relations, and is particularly significant in the aftermath of the August 2023 Camp David U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral summit, which has been touted as the beginning of a new era in trilateral cooperation among the three allies as they seek to advance peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

This event is available to in-person attendees and will not be livestreamed.

When registering, please be sure to read carefully the terms and conditions for attendance.

Members of the press should follow the media advisory below. For press/media inquiries, please contact aparc-communications@stanford.edu.

We will keep registrants informed of any program revisions subject to Japanese, Korean, and U.S. government protocols.

1:00 p.m.
Registration check-in opens

1:30 p.m.
Doors to the auditorium open

2:10 p.m.
Audience seated and doors to the auditorium close

2:30 p.m.
Event begins

Welcome
Michael McFaul
Director, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies, Department of Political Science
Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution

Remarks
The Honorable Kishida Fumio
Prime Minister of Japan

The Honorable Yoon Suk Yeol
President of the Republic of Korea

Discussion
Moderated by
Condoleezza Rice
Tad and Dianne Taube Director, Hoover Institution
Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy, Hoover Institution
Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy, Stanford Graduate School of Business
Senior Fellow, by courtesy, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Q&A Session
Guided by
Kiyoteru Tsutsui
Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Professor of Sociology
Henri H. and Tomoye Takahashi Professor and Senior Fellow in Japanese Studies, Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center
Deputy Director, Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center
Director, Japan Program

Closing Remarks
Gi-Wook Shin
Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Professor of Sociology
William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea
Director, Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center
Director, Korea Program

The submission of a registration does not guarantee admission to the event. Registrants will be notified of admission status and arrival details by Thursday, November 16.
Email inquiries about admission status will not get replies.
Seating is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Please plan accordingly.
Registration is non-transferable.
Late arrivals will not be permitted into the main auditorium. Please plan accordingly.
Large bags and backpacks are not permitted into the building. All bags are subject to search.
There is no secure area for bag storage. We are not liable for any lost or stolen belongings.
All persons and bags are subject to search.
No signs, flyers, banners, or posters allowed inside the venue.
No weapons or projectiles allowed inside the venue.
No blow horns, noise makers, or amplified sound allowed inside the venue.
No food or drinks allowed inside the venue.
No unauthorized photography or audio/video recording except for approved campus press and other media.
Guests will be prompted to turn off all cell phone ringers, pagers, and alarms.
This event will be photographed and videotaped, and by entering this venue, you consent to Stanford University and approved media using your image and likeness. Any photography and videography may not be available for future viewing at a later date.
Attendee voluntarily agrees that Stanford University, its agents, officers, directors, employees, faculty, students, and volunteers, are released by attendee from any claims incidental to the event.
Any attendee causing disruptions or found with items which are prohibited or otherwise restricted may be subject to removal from the venue.
Re-entry to the building requires subsequent check-in and security search and is at the discretion of event management.
Entering the venue shall be deemed consenting to all the above conditions and any other conditions set by Stanford University at its events.

Parking Information

Click here for instructions to purchase visitor parking. The closest visitor parking to the Hauck Auditorium can be found at the following:

Track House Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7295)
Memorial Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7213)
Littlefield Lot (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7282)
Knight Management Center Garage (ParkMobile Parking Zone 7207)

For general inquiries, contact aparc-communications@stanford.edu.

All media representatives interested in covering the event or accessing the event site should contact aparc-communications@stanford.edu by 5 p.m. PT Wednesday, November 15, and include with their request a copy of a valid press credential from an established news organization. Freelance reporters should email a copy of a signed letter from the news organization for which they are working.

Press seating is limited. We will send notifications of press credential accreditation and admission status by Thursday, November 16.

Hauck Auditorium
David and Joan Traitel Building
Hoover Institution
435 Lasuen Mall
Stanford, CA 94305

Panel Discussions

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Taiwan Forward: Driving Modernization Amid Shifting Global Dynamics

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A Pivotal Partnership: The U.S.-Japan Alliance, Deterrence, and the Future of Taiwan

Innovate Taiwan: Shaping the Future of a Postindustrial Society

Rie Hiraoka

A Summit Discussion with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea

Talent Portfolio Theory

What Should Korea’s Talent Portfolio Strategy Be?

Toward the Establishment of a Ministry of Human Resources

Read More

Sociologist Gi-Wook Shin Illuminates How Strategic Human Resource Development Helped Build Asia-Pacific Economic Giants

A New Approach to Talent Development: Lessons from Japan and Singapore

South Korea’s Fractured Democracy: One Year After Martial Law

Leveraging AI for Policy Analysis

Expanding Students’ Capabilities

Real-time Innovation

Prepared for Diverse Challenges

Read More

Globe Trotting MIP Students Aim for Policy Impact

Stanford Students Pitch Solutions to U.S. National Security Challenges to Government Officials and Technology Experts

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks Discusses Importance of Strategic Partnerships with Stanford Faculty and Students

Read More

Toward a Portfolio Theory of Talent Development

Read More

A Perilous Crossroads: Deciphering North Korea's Escalating Belligerence

Decoding Japan's Pulse: Insights from the Stanford Japan Barometer

A Pivotal Partnership: The U.S.-Japan Alliance, Deterrence, and the Future of Taiwan