Affiliated Research Centers
In the age of globalization, the establishment of a research space for Taiwan studies has also become an urgent issue. And hence, to promote the local studies of Taiwan—from political, economic, societal, and cultural perspectives—the Taiwan Studies Center (TSC) at National Chengchi University (NCCU) was founded in April 2003. The Director of TSC is Prof. Hsien-Ming Lien. TSC is a civil think-tank which provides consulting services and is an internationally distinguished academic institution in the field of Taiwan studies.
Directions on research
TSC emphasizes both education and research: education to promote research, and research to supplement education. TSC conducts research in the following fields:
- Taiwanese history and culture
- Taiwanese politics and economics
- Taiwanese social development
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The Asia-Pacific Policy Research Association (APPRA) is an independent, non-profit organization promoting dialogue, research, and education about policies in the Asia-Pacific region. APPRA is based in Taipei, Taiwan.
In line with its aims of promoting dialogue, research, and education about policies in the Asia-Pacific region, the Asia-Pacific Policy Research Association and its affiliated programs have completed a wide range of projects, including publishing research, hosting events, and collaborating with its global network of members, contributors, interns, and institutional partners.
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Center for China Studies
In terms of international teaching, the CCS has built a close, cooperative relationship with the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley. In 2011, CCS invited Professor Wen-Hsin Yeh, Director, Institute of East Asian Studies, UC Berkeley to host the “First Summer Program for Advanced China Studies.” The program focused on helping Ph.D. candidates in their dissertation writing and field studies and offered a platform for CCS researchers and Ph.D. candidates to expand their international connections. Beginning in 2013, the CCS cooperated with Taiwan’s Top University Strategic Alliance (composed of 12 top Taiwanese universities) and UC Berkeley to host the “Doctoral Workshop on Asian Studies.” Director Wen-Hsin Yeh led a delegation of 15 members from UC Berkeley to Taiwan to work with students and young scholars from Taiwan’s top universities. In May 2014, CCS cooperated with the University of Tübingen (Germany), the European Research Center on Contemporary Taiwan (ERCCT), and Duisburg-Essen University (Germany) to hold the “Contemporary China Local Governance Workshop.” CCS will continue to coordinate with TUSA to hold these kinds of activities connecting Taiwan’s top universities with leading international institutions and scholars.
In terms of supporting leading research, under the first phase of the Top University Plan, the CCS has hosted the “Cross Strait and International Elite Graduate Student Field Research Camp” (hosted under the direction of Te-sheng Chen), with places for more than 10 enthusiastic Taiwanese graduate students. The camp offers both assistance and support for carrying out field work in China’s rural areas, as well as the opportunity for Taiwanese students to build up their networks in mainland China. The camp has been well-received and its activities have been expanded with outside financial support (including a three-year grant from the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange) to include the “Cross Strait and International Elite Scholars Field Research Camp” and various other summer programs.
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Established in 2015, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) was promoted by Professor Xiao Xinhuang, a researcher at the Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica. Under the bilateral cooperation plan, the CSEAS cooperated with Dr. Yasuyuki Kono, the director of the JD Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, then appointed Masaaki Okamoto and the head of the preparatory office, Professor Yang Wei, to discuss and plan the cooperation project. On December 13 and 17, 2015, both centers confirmed their future development initiatives and signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) together to promote Southeast Asian Studies. The Center was then taken over by the Secretariat of the Consortium of Southeast Asian Studies in Asia (SEASIA) to promote Asia-Pacific research in Asia that align all distinguished Southeast Asian Studies in Taiwan.
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Elections are central to democratic politics. They offer citizens an opportunity to choose representatives and government officials, and provide governments with a legitimate basis for exercising power. The quality of elections has a direct effect on the nature of democracy itself. In recent years, Taiwan’s political system has undergone a dramatic transition and has nearly completed the transition from authoritarianism to consolidated democracy. Since elections have played and will continue to play a key role in this process of democratization, it is essential to undertake continuous and systematic research into election practices in order to both strengthen the foundations of democracy and also to raise the quality of elections.
With this in mind, Professor Lei Fei-lung and a number of colleagues began negotiating with National Chengchi University and the Ministry of Education in 1981 for the establishment of an Election Study Center at NCCU. Pending official approval for the center, Professor Lei and Professor Chen Yih-yan borrowed an office at NCCU and began research in 1983. On January 28, 1989, the Ministry of Education finally authorized the establishment of the center, and it formally opened in October of that year with Professor Chen as its first director. During Professor Chen’s six years as director, he laid the foundations for future growth of the ESC through actions such as installing a computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) system, executing various sorts of research projects, opening an election research library, establishing a database of election data, and organizing a scholarly journal, Election Research. Professor Chen’s term as director expired in October 1995, and he was succeeded by Professor Huang Teh-fu. In March 1997, Professor Huang was given a position in the cabinet, and he was succeeded as director of the ESC by Professor Hung Yung-tai. Professor Hung’s expertise in statistics and methodology have strengthened the ESC’s ability to both predict and explain the outcome of elections. In November 2000, Professor Liu I-Chou was inaugurated the ESC director. Then in February 2005, Professor Yu Ching-hsin was inaugurated the ESC director. In 2009, Professor Chen Lu-huei was inaugurated the ESC director. In August 2014, Research Fellow Tsai Chai-hung was inaugurated the ESC director.
The primary goals of the Election Study Center include:
- To study and systematically document election systems and election behavior both in Taiwan and overseas.
- To create a collection of election laws and regulations, as well as related materials and scholarly studies.
- To promote interdisciplinary research into elections and suggest solutions for real problems on behalf of the government and the general public.
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The Institute of International Relations (IIR) was founded on April 1, 1953, as the Association for International Relations. Its chief purpose was to carry out research into Chinese Communist and international affairs for the government. In 1961, the Association’s title was changed to the Institute of International Relations of the Republic of China. From then on, it began to expand and develop relationships with other academic institutions at home and abroad. Since July 1, 1975, the IIR both has been affiliated with National Chengchi University as an autonomous institution and has continued to develop its research into mainland Chinese and international affairs. On August 1, 1996, the IIR was fully integrated into the University.
Our research focus are:
- American and European Studies
- Asia-Pacific Studies
- China Politics
- Chinese Social and Economic Studies
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South China Sea Think Tank (SCSTT) is an independent, non-profit organization that promotes dialogue, research, and education on South China Sea issues. SCSTT is part of the Asia-Pacific Policy Research Association and is based in Taipei, Taiwan. SCSTT serves as a platform for promoting dialogue and does not take any institutional position regarding maritime territorial claims. Published material does not necessarily represent the views of the organization or any of its individual members. While the SCSTT makes every attempt to provide accurate information, contributors are solely responsible for the content of their own articles.
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