Transformation of Policy Entrepreneurship in East Asian Higher Education: A Case Study in Taiwan

Abstract

This chapter explores two comparative longitudinal cases studies involving policy entrepreneurs inside and outside government in Taiwan. From 2003 to 2007, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan played the conventional role of policy entrepreneur to initiate the “University Corporation Project.” Through this project, the MOE sought to transform all national universities in Taiwan into independent entities, gaining them more autonomy and increasing their accountability as well. From 2008 to 2014, as a policy entrepreneur outside the government, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) took the lead and proposed the “University Autonomous Governance Project.” This project sought an alternative solution based on public universities’ needs to improve university autonomy and accountability.

The method undertaken in this study includes document analysis and participants’ observation. First, both policy entrepreneurs adopted the strategy of power sharing, but the effectiveness of the strategy is determined by the interaction between policy entrepreneurs and stakeholders. Moreover, facing a multiple-principals condition in both cases, both policy entrepreneurs should negotiated with or compete with other potential agenda competitors. Those findings will be a detailed roadmap for policy makers in East Asia once they plan to initiate policy entrepreneurship in their countries.

Citation

Hsu, Y.-C.F. (2015), "Transformation of Policy Entrepreneurship in East Asian Higher Education: A Case Study in Taiwan", Asian Leadership in Policy and Governance (Public Policy and Governance, Vol. 24), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 421-448. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2053-769720150000024017