Written by Yi-Ling Chen. This article traces Taiwan’s housing transformation, arguing that the state’s role remains central, and that its interventions have facilitated commodification, speculation, and inequality in Taiwan’s housing sector. It calls for restoring housing’s use value and reimagining it as a basic necessity.
Written by Zong-Rong Lee. As part of the Taiwan Insight–IJTS special issue on the Topical Section “Transitions and Challenges in Taiwan’s Economy and Society,” this article presents Zong-Rong Lee’s study on Taiwan’s enduring family capitalism. It traces how political patronage, kinship networks, and market reforms sustained family dominance, raising concerns about competition and long-term adaptability.
Written by Thung-Hong Lin and Chun-Yin Lee. This article discusses the impact of China’s tightening control and U.S.–China trade tensions on Taiwanese firms. The authors find that traditional electronics firms have suffered revenue and profit declines, while high-end semiconductor companies have shown counter-cyclical growth. Ongoing tariff negotiations leave future prospects uncertain.
Written by Zong-Rong Lee and Thung-Hong Lin. This article introduces the Taiwan Insight–IJTS special issue on the Topical Section “Transitions and Challenges in Taiwan’s Economy and Society.” Initiated as an open invitation to scholars worldwide, the Topical Section reflects on Taiwan’s economic transformation, convening debate on structural shifts, their consequences, and the pressing challenges shaping Taiwan’s future.
Written by Fasa’ Namoh. This article explores how charismatic Christian prophecy shaped the 1990s migration of Paiwan families from Taiwan to Belize. Drawing on multisited fieldwork in Belize, Taiwan, and the United States, the research examines how religious landscapes and cultural memory are reterritorialised through cross-cultural encounters and diasporic practices.
Written by Yung Lin. This article compares Taiwan and the TRNC to explore how de facto states navigate border control, legitimacy, and human security. It argues for people-centred governance and inclusionism as alternative frameworks for building resilience and engaging with global challenges.
Written by Yi-Ting Chang. This article revisits Taiwan’s overlooked space history by tracing astronaut visits and the symbolic journeys of ROC flags into space during the Cold War. It reveals how diplomacy, identity, and geopolitics shaped Taiwan’s unexpected role in early space exploration.
Written by Dominika Remžová. This article examines how Chinese EV and Taiwanese semiconductor investments are reshaping Central and Eastern Europe’s automotive industry. It highlights diverging national strategies, geopolitical implications, and the potential for industrial upgrading amid tensions between economic pragmatism and values-based foreign policy.
Written by Elaine Chung and Qipeng Gao. This article examines Taiwan’s efforts to promote Mandarin education abroad as a tool of soft power, particularly in the UK. Drawing on student interviews, it explores how political values, language ideologies, and structural constraints shape learners’ choices. It offers insight into how Taiwan can strengthen its visibility and appeal in global language education.
Written by Raian Hossain & Ping-An Wei. This article offers a reflection on the motivations behind organising the first Early Career Scholars Workshop on Taiwan Studies, the key achievements of the event, and the broader vision of establishing an Early Career Scholars Network under the Taiwan Research Hub. The organisers highlight how the workshop created opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange, professional development, and long-term community building among emerging scholars in the field.
Written by Aaron Su. This article discusses the crucial role of photography in consolidating a liberal multicultural order in Taiwan by obscuring dissent through visual depictions of harmonious Indigenous life. Drawing on fieldwork at Taiwan’s Cultural Health Stations, the author shows how photography portrays Indigenous satisfaction with current health policies, leaving little room for the everyday pressures, demands, and disputes.
Written by Paulina G. Karim and Kuang-Chung Lee. This article outlines how Taiwan is advancing the Satoyama Initiative through five strategic objectives set out in the 2023–2030 IPSI Plan of Action. By integrating knowledge co-production, institutional capacity, area-based conservation, ecosystem restoration, and sustainable value chains, the authors highlight how Taiwan’s ‘3 in 1’ strategy contributes to global biodiversity goals through local and people-centred approaches.
Taiwan Insight 