How to outsource risk to the public

Whether it be policies for importing US beef or the EPA’s Central Science Park dealings, the government has ignored sound public objections, imperiling both public health and the credibility of environmental impact assessments.

Now, when a problem arises, the government is calling on the public to deal with the issue themselves. This kind of administrative logic is tantamount to declaring that Taiwan has become a society that ignores — and even indulges in — high risk.

Tu Wenling is an associate professor in the Department of Public Policy and Management at Shih Hsin University and Chair of the Taiwan Environmental Action Network.

TRANSLATED BY DREW CAMERON