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GRADUATE INSTITUTE OF POLITICAL ECONOMY
Political Economy (I)
This course investigates the evolution of economic thoughts, tracing back to
ancient Greek philosophers, Middle-age scholasticism, mercantilism, classical
political economists, and Karl Marx. It focuses on the analytical thinking regarding
creation and distribution of national wealth and its relationship to accumulation and
distribution of power among social classes in different times. Following discussions
of pre-classical and classical political economy, an in-depth analysis of Karl Marx’s
Das Kapital constitutes the climax of this course.
The purpose of this course is twofold: first, to examine different ways in which
economists of the past saw and interpreted the social reality surrounding them, and
second, to examine the origins and evolution of those analytical concepts that
constitute the bulk of modern economics. In particular, the contemporary relevance
of economic thought of the past is stressed in order to gain new historical
perspectives.
Political Economy (II)
Basically, this course emphasizes the mutual relation and interaction between
politics and economics, on the one hand. On the other hand, it will stress the
application and criticism of theories. In general, this class discussion will
introduce what is political economy, development of political economy,
international political economy, the new institutionalism, modernization theory,
dependency theory, world system, globalization, state theory, multinational
corporatism, social classes, state and market, and so on.
Research Methods
This course aims to acquaint students with basic concepts, knowledge, skills and
procedures essential to conducting research in social sciences. It is divided into two
parts. Major topics in the first part include: (1) rules of logical reasoning, (2)
traditionalist and behaviorialist approach, (3) collection, classification, integration,
and analysis of data, (4) time and space axes, and (5) writing, documentation, and
styling of research papers.The second part of this course introduces quantitative
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research tools. A statistical computing package will be employed not only to
tabulate and summarize data but also to analyze and estimate data. Students will
learn how to use statistical inference that go beyond the original data and how to
form more meaningful conclusions. Elementary theory and techniques, probability
and normal distribution, hypothesis testing, regression and time series analysis will
be covered. This course will also acquaint the students with literature and data
available on the CD-ROM and worldwide web.
Microeconomics Analysis
Microeconomics is the study of the behavior of individual economic units,
primarily consumers and business firms, and how their decisions are coordinated
through interactions in markets. Microeconomic is the science of choice under
scarcity. The principles of choice are by no means limited to formal markets for
goods and services. Indeed, some form of implicit or explicit cost-benefit
calculation lies behind almost every human action, object, and behavior. This
course intends to provide a basic understanding of interactions of demand and
supply, with a special emphasis on policy implications. Among the subjects
included are consumer rational choices, welfare economics, competitive and
non-competitive markets, international trade, and other important social issues such
as health care reform, crime and drugs, pollution, and college education.
Macroeconomics Analysis
This course provides an in-depth coverage of macroeconomics at an intermediate level.
Students will learn the knowledge necessary for investigating the real and monetary
phenomena of the modern economies. They will also learn how economies are linked
together via trade and financial flows in the world market. In addition, They will learn how
economic performance is influenced by government policies, as well as by other events such
as weather, technological progress, or other exogenous shocks. At the conclusion of the
course, all dedicated students can expect to acquire the knowledge and technical skills to
analyze contemporary macroeconomic phenomena.
International Organization and International Relations
The objectives of this course are as follows: (1) To compare and criticize major
theories of contemporary international relations. (2) To examine the role and effect
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of the United Nations and other international organizations in promoting
international cooperation, and managing international crises. (3) To analyze the
changing international politico-economic environment since the 1990s, particularly
with reference to the Asian Pacific region. (4) To study the opportunities, obstacles,
strategies, and prospects of Taiwan’s protracted search for international recognition.
Government and Enterprise
This course explores the most fundamental issue in the political economy, i.e.,
how societal resources are allocated and utilized within a politico-economic
framework? In general, government’s authoritative allocation of social values sets
institutional limits on business productions and exchange. Conversely, the
predominant structural position of business in all capitalist democracies ensures its
vast influences on government policy. The multifaceted interaction between
government and business constitutes the focus of this course.
This course will be conducted by two instructors in order to present both
political and economic perspectives.
Comparative Public Policy
The design of this course emphasizes three cornerstones in the field of
comparative public policy: (1) The methodology of comparative research. Students
enrolled are expected to learn the skills of using comparative methods in
conducting research. (2) The search of policy causes and consequences, the
ultimate goal being middle-range policy-oriented theory construction. (3) The
policy options pools. Historical policy experiences of different countries in the
same policy area will serve as a reference for policymaking in a specific state.
Following the above guidelines, the course is demarcated into three stages. A
general introduction about the boundary, status, and methodology of the discipline
will be given in the first stage, followed by discussions of the policy process,
particularly with respect to the legitimation, implementation, and budgeting of
public policy. The comparisons among different countries in some designated
policy areas will conclude class discussions.
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Local Politics and Economy
Taiwan local political economy has been quite dominated by a
clientelist-factional structure inherited from the authoritarianism legacy. In addition,
the centralization of power in both administration and finance has further
deteriorated the existed imbalance of Taiwan local development. From the logic
of power operation, all politics is local, therefore, how local politics works and
political forces derived definitely will impinge upon the ongoing process of
democratic consolidation and institutionalization. The intended goal of this course
is reexamination of local political economy in both theory and practice, as it
attempts to investigate some major issues in the study of local political economy.
The following topics will be covered in the class.
Gender and Social Policy
This course focus on three topics related to gender, care work and social
policy-making.
society.
First of all, I will discuss the role of female’s care task in our
Why and how women and others always believe female will be the better
role for care work?
Secondly, if women really will be the better roles for caring
job, then who will take care those care givers’ needs? Other family members? Or
relatives, neighbors or state?
Finally, if we put Taiwan in the international
comparative perspective, what will be found for the experiences of Taiwan’s case?
How different culture, social, political and economic structure influenced the
policy-making related to women’s welfare and health and happiness?
Social Change
This course will cover the theories of social change and empirical studies on
social change.
It also emphasizes the concepts of change and development on
social structure and relations.
Several aspects of issues will be discussed, such as
the change of social values, institutional changes, technological development, rural
and urban relations, cultural traits, the change of social classes and relations, the
role of the state, the flow of international capital, trade development, the
development of capitalism, and developmental policies.
Besides, this course will
explore the dynamics of social changes, the direction of development, and the
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model of development and change.
Furthermore, what kinds of responses causing
social change and what the cost of social change will be also paid much attention.
Political Development
This course examines the theory and practice of, and different approaches to, the
study of political development, with particular emphasis upon the developing
countries The following topics are to be covered: (1) political ideologies and
national development, (2) national integration and political development, (3)
intellectuals and elite recruitment in the political development of the new states, (4)
bureaucracy and nation-building in transitional societies, (5) military intervention
in the developing countries, (6) nationalism and political development, (7)
strategies of political development, (8) political aspects of economic development,
(9) religions and political development in the third world, (10) transitional
politics and democratic consolidation, (11) election and political participation in
the developing areas, (12) student movement and political development, (13)
gender in third world politics, and (14) mass media and political development.
Social Welfare
This course has three objectives: (1) To introduce sociological, economic and
political theories related to social welfare policy to students. (2) To adopt the
political-economic approach for analyzing the origins and development of social
welfare practices in different countries. (3) To analyze the developmental
experience of social welfare policy in Taiwan since 1949 and its social and political
backgrounds. This course discusses the basic theory and practice related to social
welfare policy with a view to making policy suggestions.
Contemporary Political and Economic Theories
This course deals with the global transformation from the Age of Capitalism to
the Age of Information, and assesses how it will affect politics, economics, business
and society in the new century.
The basic readings provide a thorough analysis of the main factors that lead to
this transformation, i.e., the globalization of the international system and the
growing anachronism arising from thinking solely in “national” terms. More
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importantly, it compels us to think about the potential consequences of these trends,
as well as ways to be better prepared to meet this challenge.
In short, this course provides a searching look into the future as well as a
vigorous analysis of the past, focusing on the challenges of the present transitional
period. The assumption is that only when we understand and respond to these
challenges, can we shape and create a new political economy of the twenty-first
century.
Economic Development: Theory and Policy
Two centuries after the Industrial Revolution, most of the world still has to
contend with the daily pain of poverty. This course focuses on the latest thinking
about policies to raise the standard of living for 80 percent of the world’s
population – the people in less developed countries (LDCs). In organizing the
course, the interrelatedness of various materials that deal with analysis, policy
implications and the lessons of development experience is emphasized. The
contents of the course will be divided into three major parts. In Part I, the concepts
and theories of economic development are introduced as a framework for further
analysis. Part II sets focal points on sectoral issues. The feasibility and
effectiveness of government’s policy instruments are evaluated. Lessons of
development experience and theory are integrated in Part III. Timely issues such as
comparative economic systems of transitional economies, integration of regional
trading blocs, and origins of financial crises are also discussed.
International Trade Theory and Policy
A global society implies that all nations are linked to one another by trade flows
and financial networks that circle the globe. The purpose of this course is to survey
the basics of international trade and to examine the effects of various international
trade policies on domestic and world welfare, with due attention also given to the
monetary aspects of international economics, which cannot be completely separated.
In addition to theoretical formalism, concepts and applications of international
trade will be stressed.
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Comparative Economic Systems
This course surveys the theory and practice of major economic systems, with
particular emphasis upon the differences, theoretical foundations, and social origins
of liberal economy and command economy, in order to acquire a better
understanding of the process, problems, and prospects of economic development in
various Asian-Pacific Countries.
Econometrics
The main purpose of the course is to learn how to apply econometric methods to
the empirical study of economics, finance, marketing, business administration,
political science, and other fields of social science. Topics covered
include:(1)introduction,
(2)simple
regression,
(3)multiple
regression,
(4)heteroskedasticity, (5)autocorrelation, (6)multicollinearity, (7) dummy variable,
(8) limited dependent variable, (9) simultaneous equation, (10) model of
expectation, (11) diagnostic checking and model selection, and (12) time series
analysis.
Seminars on International Financial Studies
International capital markets differ in important ways from domestic capital
markets. They must cope with special regulations that many countries impose on
foreign investment; they also sometimes offer opportunities to evade regulations
placed on domestic markets. The growing importance of international capital
markets and their new problems demand greater attention than ever before. This
course devotes to issues arising from international capital markets: one on the
functioning of global asset markets and one on foreign borrowing by developing
countries. Especially, we recognize the policy interdependence and beggar thy
neighbor situations. Then we suggest that coordination could be the only solution
of exchange rate policies.
Macroeconomic Policy
Contemporary economic policies deal largely with the three issues of
unemployment, inflation, and economic growth. What government policy can do to
promote economic growth or to attain economic stability has long been a matter of
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dispute among macroeconomists. Some argue that uninterfered market forces can
always maintain equilibrium in the economic system, and government policy can
only impede the efficient adjustment process of the market forces. Others argue that
imperfect markets do not clear rapidly and automatically, so that undesirable
phenomena will occur. These undesirable outcomes make it necessary to call for
proper government policies to overcome the effects of market failures.
This course introduces the students to the key concepts and major theories of
macroeconomics with relevant macroeconomic statistics, so that students can find
their own answers to the questions addressed above. In addition, lectures help
students improve their ability to evaluate policies on interest rates, exchange rate
management, public spending and income, etc. which have crucial effects on the
performance of national and global economies.
Public Finance
This course tries to examine the workings of a market system, and develops the
concept of economic efficiency as well as its relationship to the welfare of the
people in the economy. An important cause of market failure is the fact that private
firms have little incentive to provide certain types of goods, called public goods.
This course also investigates both government public goods and spending programs
like national defense and highways. Externalities are a type of market failure that
occurs when market decisions affect third parties in certain ways. Especially, it
incorporates current tax and spending system in Taiwan to discusses the policies
and programs that governments adopt to rectify the inefficiencies they create.
Industrial Organization
Industrial organization is the study of market structures and firm behavior. This
course is in many ways an extension of the analysis of markets that is done in a
Principles of Microeconomics course. Of particular interest is how a market's
structure, whether a monopoly, oligopoly, or competitive, affects the behavior of
firms, especially in the area of prices and profits. The heart of the course is the
analysis of how the different kinds of markets will produce different sorts of
behavior. The different kinds of competitive, oligopolistic, and monopolistic
markets are analyzed and compared. Especially complicated is the problem of
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whether small numbers of firms, in an oligopoly, will be able to keep prices and
profits up, and under what conditions they will attempt to undercut each other's
prices. The course takes a close look at how their ability to achieve monopoly-type
profits depends on the various characteristics of the industry, including the ease of
entry, how well the firms are able to cooperate, the shape of their cost curves, what
happens if one firm is more efficient in producing the good, and whether the firms
compete directly on the basis of price. How competition will develop if the good is
not homogenous and each firm produces a similar product is analyzed in a section
on monopolistic competition.
Environmental Economics: Theory and Application
Environmental Economics is the study of economics as it applies to
environmental problems and related policy issues. Environmental problems in the
course will cover topics such as theory of externalities; incentive-based and
regulatory policy instruments for addressing market failure; theory and methods for
valuing environmental services; and other important environmental issues.
Economic analysis of policies will primarily focus on pollution-control policies,
economic incentives, and the optimal use of renewable and non-renewable natural
resources.
Selected Topics on the Political Economy of Taiwan
This course examines the developmental experience of Taiwan in the post-War
era from the theoretical perspectives of both modernization and political economy,
and analyzes problems Taiwan has faced since the 1990s. Particular emphasis will
be placed on the interaction between the domestic politics and the international
environment of Taiwan, with a view to assessing Taiwan’s opportunities and
obstacles in the next decade or so.
Selected Topics on the Political Economy of the PRC
This course consists of three parts. The first part is a historical survey of
social-political changes in the Maoist era from the New Democracy, through the
Socialist Transformation and the Great Leap Forward Movement, to the Great
Proletarian Cultural Revolution. The second part is a study of the so-called
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Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the Dengist era, with emphasis upon the
evolution of the Socialist Market Economy. The third part is an analysis of the
problems and prospects of the Chinese road to modernization and democratization.
Cross-Strait Political and Economic Relations
The major aims of this course are as follow: (1) to survey the interaction between
Taiwan and Mainland China since 1979, (2) to assess future trends of development
concerning the two sides and to analyze related variables and factors, and (3) to use
muti-dimensional analysis to discuss political, economic, social, cultural, military,
and diplomatic issues affecting the two countries.
At the end of this course, students are expected to improve their ability and
autonomy in analyzing cross-straits issues.
Selected Topics on the Political Economy of Southeast Asia
This course covers three major parts: the first part is focused on the introduction
of related theories on the development of Southeast Asian states. The second part
discusses experiences of ten countries for its own political and economic
development, perspectively.
The third part is to study the relation and
development bewteen Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The second part is the core
body of this course. It will go further detail introducing Thailand, Malaysia,
Singapore, The Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuches, Brunei, Myarmar, and
Indonesia, individually. Also, it will emphasize the approaches from economics,
politics, and sociology to deal with Southeast Asian development.
Selected Topics on the Political Economy of Northeast Asia
This course focuses on Japan and Russia and, given time, it will also cover the
Korean peninsula to some extent, with a view to making meaningful comparison
and contrast. Emphasis will be placed on the success story of Japanese economy
and the problems of Russian economy, with necessary references made to the
political framework and cultural backgrounds of these countries.
Selected Topics on the Political Economy of the U.S.
The political economy of the world is undergoing a rapid and dynamic
transformation—politically from the Cold-War era to the Post Cold-War period;
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and economically from the Age of Capitalism to the Post-Corporate Era, i.e., the
globalization of the international system. This course will focus on how the
Americans view this transformation from their own perspective and how they
prepare to meet this challenge for the coming 21st century. It will also provide a
vigorous analysis of the American impact on the rest of the world.
Sociology
There are several subjects in this class will be discussed. Also this class will
require students to read several books and submit papers, on the one hand.
Students are also requested to search a related article consistent with the subject of
each week and encouraged students to present the content of this article in the class,
on the other habd. These week subject listed as following:
1. What is sociology?
2. Social Structure and Social Interaction.
3. Culture and Individuals.
4. Socialization and Individuals.
5. Sociological Theories.
6. Deviant Behavior and Social Control.
7. Group Dynamics.
8. Sociological Method.
9. Social Organization and Bureaucracy.
10. Sex Role and Relations.
11. Social Stratification and Inequality.
12. Social Problems and Social Change.
13. Collective Behavior and Social Movement.
14. Population and Urban Development.
15. Social Institutions and Functions.
Political Science
The purpose of the course is to understand the concepts and systems of political
science, such as the conflicts among people, democracy and political systems etc.
The teaching areas focus on the discussion of the impact of political science in
Taiwan. This course plans to provide students in understanding the importance and
the historical background of political science.
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