Taiwan Social Resilience Research Center

Our project is dedicated to developing resilience indicators for our nation, aiming to effectively address the diverse risks and impacts within the contemporary public governance environment. Given the rapidly accelerating pace of societal changes, resilient governance has emerged as a focal point of interest for both academia and practitioners. In response to this trend, we will integrate cross-disciplinary resilience metrics across the domains of environment, democracy, society, and the economy in Taiwan. We will conduct a comprehensive and systematic assessment that includes both subjective and objective measures. This assessment will involve consolidating the research focus of each sub-project of the research center and aligning it with international research trends. The overarching goal is to assist governmental authorities in strategic policy planning and formulation. By doing so, we aim to effectively mitigate, adapt to, and respond to significant impacts, ultimately contributing to the enhancement of Taiwan's sustainable development and international competitiveness.

Cluster 1：Globalization and Geopolitical Risks

（Cluster Leader: Min-Hua Huang and Teng-Chi Chang, Department of Political Science）

1-1 The Change of International Order and the Challenge of Authoritarian Resilience

（Hsiao-Chuan Liao, Department of Political Science）

1-2 The Paradigmatic Effects of EU Research and Regional Integration

（Kuo-Chun Yeh, Graduate Institute of National Development）

1-3 Taiwan in the Era of Globalization

（Yi-Lin Wu, Department of Economics）

In the face of numerous global political and economic disturbances, rapid power re-alignments are taking place, which altered the international institutions in various aspects. The changes are significant, and the unpredictability of the future has increased, posing severe challenges to the liberal international order and its institutional resilience.

Examine the political economy of vaccine distribution and the resilience of various regimes during crises.
Assess the effects of diverse trade restrictions on Taiwan’s industries and labor market in the globalization era.
Study the Indo-Pacific regional order, integrating theories and historical insights.
Evaluate China’s strategies for authoritarian resilience and improve Taiwan’s response to geopolitical risks.

Cluster 2：Policy and Market Mechanisms

(Cluster Leader: Joseph Tao-yi Wang, Department of Economics)

2-1 Adjustments and Responses of Market Mechanisms under Public Health Crises and Environmental Impact

（Chih-Sheng Hsieh, Department of Economics）

2-2 Analysis and Examination of Resilience: Experimentation and Theory

（Josie I Chen, Department of Economics）

2-3 Policy, Institutional Comparisons, and Practices in the Path to Net Zero Transition

（Kuei-Tien Chou and Jiun-Da Lin, Graduate Institute of National Development）

We employ spatial econometric models to study the economic repercussions of climate change and the pandemic, including temperature impacts and developed nations’ pollution exports. Additionally, we analyze the pandemic’s effect on online sector transitions and related behavioral shifts.
Economic resilience is built on our understanding of human behavior. We use lab and field experiments to study democratic preferences based on which theories and policies are proposed.
We examine Taiwan’s carbon-pricing strategies, comparing its approach with other countries to identify its strengths and weaknesses.

Cluster 3：Family and Demographic Transformation

（Cluster Leader: Pei-Chia Lan, Department of Sociology）

3-1 The Border Politics and Ethnic Relations of Transnational Migration

（Pei-Chia Lan, Department of Sociology）

3-2 The Challenges of Diverse Family and Demographic Transformation

（Chia-Ling Wu, Department of Sociology）

3-3 The Challenges of an Aging Society in the Digital Age

（Shih-Jiunn Shi, Graduate Institute of National Development）

3-4 Inclusive Development and Policy Innovation

（Yeun-Wen Ku, Department of Social Work）

Taiwan has experienced significant demographic and labor changes in the last two decades. Facing challenges such as diverse families, immigration, and aging, we aim to enhance social resilience by analyzing these shifts and offering policy recommendations. We focus on the following issues:

Transnational Migration’s Effect: Investigating migration’s influence on Taiwan’s demographics, family, labor, and culture, with resilience-focused recommendations.
Family and Demographic Transformation: Examining shifts in birth rates and family structures, incorporating gender equality, social justice, and ethnic harmony themes.
Digital Aging Society: Exploring digital solutions for an aging population, with policy suggestions based on modern welfare models.
Inclusive Labor Market: Examining Taiwan’s poverty and social exclusion trends and assessing the potential for adopting international policy innovations advocated by international NGOs.

Cluster 4：Inequality and Government Governance

（Cluster Leader: Hui-Ching Wu and April Chiung-Tao Shen, Department of Social Work）

4-1 Judicial Justice and Behavioral Health

（Hui-Ching Wu, Department of Social Work）

4-2 Income Inequality

（Pei-Ju Liao, Department of Economics）

4-3 Research on Sustainable Governance and Good Governance in Taiwan

（Nai-Ling Kuo, Department of Political Science）

During the pandemic, nations’ risk policies, though essential, may have exacerbated socio-economic strains and inequalities, especially for vulnerable groups. We explore these deep-rooted vulnerabilities and their implications. Prioritizing social resilience, our project shifts from vulnerability to resilience, examining social-level interactions. Our research focus:

Legal Social Work: Focusing on accreditation for judicial social work education, enriching social workers with legal insights, and boosting interdisciplinary partnerships spanning humanities to psychology.
Pandemic’s Economic Impact: Assessing COVID-19’s role in intensifying income and consumption disparities, the work-from-home effect on gender roles, and its potential to address declining birth rates.
Corporate Borrowing Shocks: Focusing on how companies differing in size navigate borrowing challenges during the pandemic.
Governance Model: Using an evidence-based approach, we focus on two main topics: sustainable governance and good government.
Sustainable Development in Taiwan: Enhancing governmental and societal resilience and promoting collaboration between central and local governance.

Cluster 5：Democratic Resilience and Public Communication

（Cluster Leader: Chen-Ling Hung, Graduate Institute of Journalism and Yu-Tzung Chang, Department of Political Science）

5-1 Civic Unity in Divided Societies

（Ming-Sho Ho, Department of Sociology）

5-2 Taiwan’s Democratic Resilience and Crisis in the Era of Globalization

（Yu-Tzung Chang, Department of Political Science）

5-3 False Information and Societal Responses

（Ji-Lung Hsieh, Graduate Institute of Journalism）

The cluster studies the link between information dissemination and democratic sustainability. Transparent and accurate communication, especially digitally, is crucial for democratic resilience. In the digital age, misinformation’s instantaneous and global spread are key concerns. The research focuses include:

Taiwan’s Democratic Landscape: Analyze global economic liberalization’s influence on Taiwan’s democracy and income inequality, considering factors like fake news, populism, China’s dominance, and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact.
Addressing Societal Divisions: Explore how open democratic processes might heal societal divides and ensure unified threat responses.
Big Data & Democracy: Through big data, we examine information manipulation’s impact on Taiwan’s democratic resilience, addressing digital government ethics, media practices, and citizens’ digital resilience.