The Increasing Irrelevance of Industrial Policy in Taiwan, 2016-2020

Douglas Fuller has contributed a book chapter in the new publication ‘Taiwan During the First Administration of Tsai Ing-wen: Navigating in Stormy Waters’ . The chapter focuses on the industrial policy of Tsai Ing-wen, as well the effects of Trumps trade war with China on Taiwan.

Douglas Fuller
12/19/2022

The book is out on Routledge and the chapter can be accessed using the link above.
 
The Increasing Irrelevance of Industrial Policy in Taiwan, 2016-2020. In G. Schubert, & C. Lee (Eds.), Taiwan During the First Administration of Tsai Ing-wen: Navigating in Stormy Waters (pp. 128-141). Routledge. Routledge Research on Taiwan Series Vol. 5
 
Abstract:
Like every democratically elected president in Taiwan before her, in her first term, President Tsai proposed and implemented various industrial policies designed to create new or bolster hopefully emergent industries. Unfortunately, industrial policy has proven to be increasingly irrelevant in terms of failing to deliver on upgrading new or inchoate industries in Taiwan. This increasing irrelevance of industrial policy preceded Tsai's administration and has deep structural and institutional roots. To the extent that industrial policy was impactful during Tsai's first term, it did so by supporting existing industries and firms, such as TSMC, and via the continued hidden industrial policy of currency intervention to promote exports. Taiwan's economy and Tsai's administration did benefit from Trump's trade war with China. Recent trends such as the return of Taiwanese manufacturing from China would not have occurred without the trade war. However, any future broader decoupling between the US and China's economies beyond that of Trump's limited trade war could badly hurt Taiwan.
 

The page was last edited by: Department of International Economics, Government and Business // 12/19/2022