Taiwan’s Great Recall Revisited: Domestic and Foreign Policy Implications

About the Event

In its latest test of democratic resilience, Taiwan recently underwent an unprecedented recall campaign: 31 elected officials nationwide faced recall votes following a year of contentious political debate, controversial legislative actions, institutional paralysis, and a constitutional crisis. The Great Recall (大罷免) involved civil society groups and a wave of new social movement volunteers who sought to remove opposition lawmakers representing the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) from the legislature for a range of issues including national budget allocation controversies, fears regarding maligned influence of the Chinese Communist Party, and other concerns. A counter-recall movement levied against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians was also launched but ultimately did not garner sufficient support to cause a recall vote. The results of the Great Recall appear to be decisive: none of the 31 opposition officials were recalled after votes in late July and August, signaling that divided government is here to stay in Taiwan until the next election cycle. While the Great Recall has been lauded as another successful chapter in Taiwan’s democratic development, it also reflects an increasingly polarized national debate on domestic politics and foreign policy priorities.

What are the implications of the Great Recall on Taiwan’s political, economic, and democratic future? What do the results suggest for U.S.-Taiwan relations in the near-term? Join the Sigur Center for Asian Studies as we host a panel of experts to interpret the results and implications of Taiwan’s Great Recall. Please note that doors will open 15 minutes before the start of the event at earliest.

About the Speakers

Wei-Ting Yen

Wei-Ting Yen is an assistant research fellow at the Institute of Political Science at Academia Sinica (IPSAS). Previously, she was an assistant professor of the Government Department at Franklin and Marshall College. She is also a Public Intellectuals Program Fellow at the National Committee on US-China Relations.

Dr. Yen is a political economist, with a focus on governance and welfare state development in Asia. The first research theme (based on her dissertation) studies the micro-level foundation of welfare states in nascent democracies and pays close attention to the role of economic insecurity. Her dissertation received an Honorable Mention for the John Heinz Dissertation Award from the National Academy of Social Insurance. The second research theme studies the political economy (at both macro- and micro-level) of COVID-19 governance in Asia.

Dr. Yen holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from The Ohio State University

You-Hao Lai - “The Great Recall and Taiwan’s Civic Constitutionalism”

You-Hao Lai is a researcher, practicing lawyer, and think tank fellow specializing in digital rights and democratic governance. He is currently pursuing his doctorate at The George Washington University Law School and serves as the deputy director of Democratic Governance Research Program at the Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a Taiwanese governmental think tank, where his research focuses on AI, digital authoritarianism, and information security in democracies. He is also a member of the Taipei Bar Association’s Human Rights Committee and serves on both the Constitutional Litigation and Digital Rights Task Forces at Taiwan’s Judicial Reform Foundation. He previously served as a legal and policy advisor to the President of the Judicial Yuan, Taiwan’s highest judicial body, and clerked for the Chief Justice of the Taiwan Constitutional Court. He holds LL.M. degrees from National Taiwan University College of Law and Harvard Law School.

Raymond Kuo - "The Great Recall, Democracy, and U.S.-Taiwan Relations"

Dr. Raymond Kuo is the inaugural Director of the Taiwan Policy Initiative and a Senior Political Scientist at RAND. He specializes in international security, international order, and East Asia. He is the author of two books, and his work has been published in International Security, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and War on the Rocks. He holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and has previously worked for Fordham University, the United Nations, the National Democratic Institute, and the Democratic Progressive Party (Taiwan).

About the Moderator

Richard J. Haddock

Richard J. Haddock is the Assistant Director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at the George Washington University, where he leads the Center’s robust Taiwan affairs programming, outreach, and curriculum development. He is also a member of the UC Berkeley U.S.-Taiwan Next Generation Working Group, where his research focuses on U.S.-Taiwan education diplomacy and exchange. Previously, he has held positions at the GW East Asia National Resource Center, the National Democratic Institute’s Asia team, the American Institute in Taiwan’s Public Diplomacy Section, and the U.S. Department of State. Mr. Haddock is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University, focusing on digital democracy and e-governance development in the Asia-Pacific. He holds an MA in Asian Studies from the Elliott School, with a concentration on domestic politics and foreign policy of East Asia. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BA in Political Science and minors in Asian Studies and Diplomacy.

Host or Publisher Sigur Center for Asian Studies at GW