The Influence of the Two-party System In Taiwan After the 2000s

Ryan Chen 408110089

Literature �Review

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Introduction

• Nowadays, we can observe more and more problems resulting from partisan catfights in many countries, which is also a severe issue in Taiwan.

• Mostly occurs between the majority party and the opposition party, that is, the two-party system.

THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM PARTISAN CATFIGHT

A means of checks and balances for each party to prevent them from acting as their pleases.

BENEFITS

Deliberately blocks other people's bills or budgets, no matter it's right or wrong, it's against it for one's own benefit or opposes it simply for the sake of opposition.

DETRIMENTS

TWO-PARTY SYSTEM

political system in which the electorate gives its votes largely to only two major parties and in which one or the other party can win a majority in the legislature.

REASON TO FORM THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM

Design of the electoral system

• Electoral system in America

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First-past-the-post/ single-member district

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People tend to vote for candidates they think have the opportunity of winning, rather than voting for people they approve. And these votes usually concentrate on the two major parties, which prompt the political system toward the two-party system.

Reasons for the formation of the two-party system in Taiwan

Electoral system: single-member district for legislative Yuan election (Similar way as America to elect)

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Social Structure: differences in the national identity of Taiwanese people and how to deal with the relationship with mainland China.

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• DPP: stands on Taiwan's independence position

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• KMT: includes national reunification with mainland China as an option

(Lin and Wu 142)

Convergent Two-Party System

The most crucial precondition: power balance between the ruling and opposition parties through periodic power turnovers between them." Contrarily, if there are no continually periodic power turnovers will result in the opposition party being marginalized, and force the opposition party to take radical action to fight with the government

(Lin and Wu 143)

PROBLEMS OF THE TWO-PARTY SYSYEM

In “Duopoly versus Autonomy: How the Two-Party System Harms the Major Parties,” professor Ortiz argues that if people give these parties totally autonomy and without any competition. It will be similar to the producer in a controlled market, and these parties will take their interest as their first consideration and take advantage of people as much as possible.

PROBLEMS OF THE TWO-PARTY SYSYEM

In “A More Responsible Two-Party System? Accountability for Majority and Minority Party Performance in a Polarized Congress", professor Jones argues that most people who vote depend on the majority party's performance which will induce the minority party to act irresponsibly. And advocate polarizes and obstructs the government's policy.

Research Gap

Too theoretical and lack concrete examples of the chaos the two-party system generates, especially the example in Taiwan.

HYPOTHESIS: The two-party system is poisoning the development of Taiwan.

III. Methodology

Criteria to pick the sources

• These cases have to go through power turnovers, which is the ruling party, and the opposition party needs to be different in each case.
• These cases will be the ruling party trying to promote certain bills while the opposition party stands out against these bills.

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CASE STUDY

KMT was the opposition party, and because they disagreed with the ruling party DPP's policy, they proposed four questions for the referendum.

Referendum in 2021

In 2014, KMT was the ruling party, and they tried to pass the bills to reach the trade pact with mainland China. However, student’s associations and DPP believe that there were many problems with the trade agreement and tried to prevent them, eventually resulting in the Sunflower Student Movement.

Sunflower Student Movement

Works Cited

Dulio, David A., and James A. Thurber. “America’s Two-Party System:

Friend or Foe?” Administrative Law Review, vol. 52, no. 2, American Bar

Association, Spring 2000, pp. 769–92. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40711882.

Accessed 20 Dec. 2021.

Jones, David R. “A More Responsible Two-Party System? Accountability for

Majority and Minority Party Performance in a Polarized Congress.” Polity, vol. 46,

no. 3, The University of Chicago Press, July 2014, pp. 470–92. JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/24540222. Accessed 20 Dec. 2021.

Lee, Yoon Kyung. “Diverging Patterns of Democratic Representation in Korea and

Taiwan: Political Parties and Social Movements.” Asian Survey, vol. 54, no. 3,

University of California Press, June 2014, pp. 419–44,

doi.org/10.1525/as.2014.54.3.419. Accessed 20 Dec. 2021.

Lin, Gang, and Weixu Wu. “The Transition of Party System in Taiwan: Divergence

or Convergence?” China Review, vol. 17, no. 3, The Chinese University of Hong

Kong Press, Oct. 2017, pp. 141–66. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44371801.

Accessed 20 Dec. 2021.

Ortiz, Daniel R. “Duopoly versus Autonomy: How the Two-Party System Harms the

Major Parties.” Columbia Law Review, vol. 100, no. 3, Columbia Law Review

Association, Inc., Apr. 2000, pp. 753–74, doi.org/10.2307/1123501. Accessed 20

Dec. 2021.

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THANKS

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