Topics in Taiwan Economic Development

This course is arranged in five topics. (1) How was Taiwan transferred from an agriculture dominated and very much inward looking economy into an export-oriented and outward looking economy? (2) Taiwan has gone through several significant economic restructurings over half a century period, and to which extent the changes can be attributable to foreign factors, and what are they? (3) Direct foreign investment is an important foreign factor affecting Taiwan’s economy significantly in various ways. (4) The abundant small and medium sized business, not unique to Taiwan, did exert its exquisite role in development, yet not fully understood. (5) Globalization, a trend beginning in the 1980a and still going, to which Taiwan has been an important integrator in east Asia, represents a challenge to Taiwan as well.