ABSTRACT
After briefly reviewing the chronological process of Taiwan’s democratization, this chapter will then appraise the competing explanations for Taiwan’s transition and where Taiwan fits in the comparative democratization literature. Next, the chapter will look at whether Taiwan can be viewed as a consolidated democracy and how we can assess the quality of the island’s democracy. How does Taiwan’s democracy compare with other Third Wave democracies? Lastly, I will consider the debate over whether Taiwan’s democracy is regressing.
