Taiwanese campaigning and elections, 1991 an outsider’s view

Note from the Editor: From time to time, there are opportunities to report informally to readers of SCID on matters of interest that do not fall neatly into our usual categories of development theory, research, and policy. One such occasion presented itself recently when, participating with an international team, I observed the Taiwanese campaign and elections of December 1991. Subsequently, the team presented recommendations in both Taiwan and the United States, and in addition to the following article, a more orthodox academic publication is also being readied. What follows, however, is a personal, even idiosyncratic, commentary on a significant experience in political change and development.