While Taiwanese politics in 2025 were first engulfed by recall campaigns and later by a constitutional crisis, some legislative changes flew under the radar. One of them is small on paper but potentially transformative in practice: a reform that strengthens women’s political representation at the local level. Key takeaways: Taiwan’s high level of women’s representation… Continue reading A quiet reform with big consequences: How Taiwan is reshaping women’s representation in local politics
Taiwan’s stateless and undocumented population, numbering in the tens of thousands, has no access to basic rights, including healthcare, legal residency, and in some cases, education. Key takeaways: Taiwan’s democratic success story coexists with a significant blind spot: tens of thousands of stateless and undocumented people remain excluded from basic rights such as healthcare, legal… Continue reading Taiwan’s democratic blind spot: Statelessness and legal exclusion
Every year, Taiwan’s government puts €35 into the pocket of every young resident and tells them to go experience their culture. What looks like a simple subsidy is, on closer inspection, something considerably more deliberate. Key takeaways: Taiwan’s Culture Points program provides annual digital vouchers to residents aged 13 to 22, designed to sustain domestic… Continue reading Taiwan’s Culture Points: A behavioral experiment in cultural policy
Across East Asia, a growing number of young people are choosing not to participate in a hyper-competitive job market that generates diminishing returns. Instead of pursuing upward mobility through long working hours, they opt for reduced ambition and emotional self-protection. In China, this phenomenon is often described as tangping (lying flat). In Japan and South… Continue reading Opting out of the system: Youth withdrawal and state response in East Asia
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s personality has brought the ruling LDP an unprecedented supermajority. Yet even with more than two-thirds of the seats in the Lower House, the LDP may face unexpected pressures during its upcoming rule. Key takeaways: The LDP secured a two-thirds supermajority in the Lower House for the first time since World War… Continue reading “Sana-mania” leads to a supermajority: What’s next for Japan?
