A Seemingly Endless Debate? The Establishment of Golf Courses in Taiwan

Abstract

This study examines the spatiotemporal background of golf course construction disputes in Taiwan and identifies the factors that have affected the policies regulating golf course construction. Our analysis covers three main periods: the one-party dictatorship (1981–1990), the period of continuous controversy (1991–1996), and the period of missed opportunities (1997–2022). Herein, we review official government documents to construct an analytical framework based on three indicator streams, namely, problem, politics, and policy, as proposed by Kingdon (1984). The conclusions are as follows: (1) These three streams developed independently between 1981 and 1990. (2) From 1991 to 1996, political decisions were influenced by emerging problems, and policy options were not yet open. (3) From 1997 to 2022, there was frequent interaction among the three streams; however, when the policy window opened, the issue of golf course siting was ignored because other social issues had emerged, and golf courses were eventually excluded from the agenda. We also found that the factors influencing policy change are nongovernmental organisations, political parties, and stakeholders and that the ruling party plays an especially key role.