When Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan's first non-Kuomintang president, left office in 2008, his tenure was widely considered a disappointment. More recent events, however, suggest the need for a reassessment of this crucial period in Taiwan's political development. Taiwan's Democracy Challenged provides that assessment, considering key facets of both the progress toward and the obstacles to democratic consolidation during the Chen Shui-bian era.
Yun-han Chu (1956-2023) was professor of political science at National Taiwan University, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute of Political Science at Academia Sinica, and president of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation.
Larry Diamond is senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
Kharis Templeman is research associate at the Spogli Institute's Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law and also manages the institute's Taiwan Democracy Program.
Also of interest:
Taiwan: The Development of an Asian Tiger by Hans Stockton and Yao-Yuan Yeh, eds. and
Dynamics of Democracy in Taiwan: The Ma Ying-jeou Years by Kharis Templeman, Yun-han Chu, and Larry Diamond, eds.
"Well-researched, well-structured. Highly recommended."—Choice
"Each chapter is abundantly filled with detailed material and analyses.... A must-read for scholars and students of Taiwan."—M. Bob Kao, LSE Review of Books
"This volume may become the definitive resource for understanding the Chen Shui-bian era—important for studying not only Taiwan's democratic development, but also democratic consolidation in general. The authors illustrate the complex, uneven, and multifaceted aspects of the era, also highlighting the 'unfinished' nature of this lived democratic experience."—Vincent Wei-cheng Wang, University of Richmond
"A 'must read' collection....This is by far the best treatment of democratic consolidation in Taiwan that I have seen."—Cal Clark, Auburn University
