Institute of Political Science at Academia Sinica

Edited by Chung-li Wu and Yu-shan Wu. Taipei: Wu Nan Publisher, 2006.

This book begins with the explicit premise that constitutional reforms have to be based on academic knowledge. In recent years there has been much debate on the constitutional system in Taiwan. To make a new constitution or merely to revise the existing one is an issue still unfolding. There is no agreement yet as to whether or not the constitution should be based on a “presidential system,” “parliamentary system,” or a “semi-presidential system.” For a nascent democracy like Taiwan, its constitutional choices will profoundly influence the development of political democracy. This book focuses on the background, operation, and impact of constitutional reform from both theoretical and practical standpoints. This is a study of not only political science but constitutional law as well. The Institute of Political Science at Academia Sinica (IPSAS) is planning a series of academic books, and this is the first volume. We consider this work a dialogue connecting the IPSAS research team and the general public, and a bridge between theory and practical politics. The substance of this work is both descriptive and analytical. Therefore this book is suitable for professors and students in social sciences and also for the general readers interested in constitutional reform and political development.