Public Administration in Taiwan: Development, Challenges and the Future

Abstract

The accomplishments of the Kuomintang (KMT) government in economic and social development in the Republic of China (hereafter called Taiwan) after the Second World War have been recognized by the international community, despite the fact that it suffers from political non-recognition by most countries of the world. Many factors could be cited to explain the success of Taiwan in socio-economic development, but the role of public administration is particularly significant in this respect. Scholars in administration and politics have realized that public administration is the tool of governance and the foundation of social and economic development of a society. Galbraith (1967), for instance, pointed out that the invention and application of new technologies in modern societies lead to undesirable consequences which would need to be regulated by the bureaucracy. Benaissa (1992) observed that the burden of development fell on the civil service whose functions were to promote productivity as a national goal, to formulate and carry out programmes for that purpose and to assist the administration in improving their performance. The civil service of Taiwan is undertaking the important task of not only maintaining the existing level of development, but also promoting the overall productivity in the Taiwan economy. This chapter aims to discuss the development of public administration in Taiwan in general, and evaluate its role in facilitating the socio-economic development of Taiwan in particular.