Book Chapter Talk: The democratisation of science in deliberative systems: The Controversy over Nuclear Waste Siting in Taiwan

Key information

Date
Time
12:30 PM to 12:45 PM
Venue
Virtual Event

About this event

Mei-fang Fan

As part of the 2021 SOAS Centre of Taiwan Studies Summer School, we kindly ask that you register to attend .

Click HERE to watch the event video and submit your questions to Jewel Lo at jl91@soas.ac.uk by 2 July 2021 and Dr Fan will follow up with a short video response to the raised questions.

Abstract

In this short video Fan Mei-fang will speak about her research on the controversial and unresolved topic of nuclear waste storage in Taiwan. The topic will be addressed through the lens of deliberative democracy. The talk will be based on Chapter 5 of Professor Fan’s new book Deliberative Democracy in Taiwan: A Deliberative Systems Perspective. The Ebook is also available at the SOAS Library at: https://library.soas.ac.uk/Record/10403636 We encourage participants to email questions from the video and Chapter 5 of the book to us at jl91@soas.ac.uk by July 2 and Dr Fan will follow up with a short video response to the raised questions.

About The Book

This book is a pioneering analysis of the deliberative systems approach in Taiwan, extending an understanding of Taiwanese democratic politics and consolidating links between theoretical development and a practical application of deliberative practices.

As a front-runner of new democracies in Asia and a relatively open society, Taiwan provides a model for deliberative governance, with a view towards institutional innovation and increasing democratisation. This book considers how components within the intricate web of micro- and macro- deliberative systems perform different functions, complement each other, and contribute both to policy change and democratic innovation. Specific cases are provided – such as participatory budgeting in Taipei City and the government-academia alliance model – to demonstrate the long-term systemic effects of mini-publics and citizen actions. In addition, the book proposes the possibility of deliberative democracy for other countries in the world, alongside various policy issues, including mini-publics, e-participation, co-governance, citizen science, negotiation mechanisms, and the deliberative practices of indigenous peoples.

Author Bio

Mei-Fang Fan is professor at the Institute of Science, Technology and Society, National Yang-Ming University; researcher of Risk Society and Policy Research Center of National Taiwan University. Research interests include environmental justice, deliberative democracy and governance. Her recent book chapters on environmental justice in East Asia and wind turbine construction in Taiwan appeared in the Routledge Handbook of Environmental Justice (2018) and Energy Transition in East Asia (2017).

Organiser: Centre of Taiwab Studies

Contact email: jl91@soas.ac.uk