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Democratization, Divided Government and the 2001 Taiwanese Legislative Yuan Elections

University of North Texas, USA, paolino{at}unt.edu

The 2001 Legislative Yuan elections in Taiwan were the first to be held following the change in control of the presidency that occurred after the 2000 elections. The transition from a one-party dominant system to one where the opposition had control of the government provides a good opportunity to examine the prevalence of democratic attitudes in Taiwan. Democracy can be frustrating when control over public policy is divided between two opposing groups. Under these circumstances, it could be reasonable for voters to desire a return to authoritarianism government. In a survey conducted following the 2001 Legislative Yuan elections, Taiwanese citizens were asked a series of questions about democratic norms. In this article, I analyze these attitudes as a means of exploring how Taiwan’s voters feel about democracy as Taiwan moves away from a one-party dominant system and faces potential difficulties operating within a multi-party semi-presidential system.

Key Words: democratic consolidation • democratic norms • divided government • dominant party • multi-party elections

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Journal of Asian and African Studies, Vol. 40, No. 1-2, 125-147 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0021909605052948


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Paolino, P. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?