Academia Sinica opens Institute of Political Science

Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh, right, and Academia Sinica member Hu Fu, second right, give directions to the head of the new Institute of Political Science at Academic Sinica, Wu Yu-shan, left. PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

Despite cloudy skies in the Nankang district of Taipei yesterday morning, political scientist Hu Fu (胡佛) stood composed in a lobby at Academia Sinica, waiting with a grin for the inauguration of a long-expected institute.

As Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) handed director of the new Institute of Political Science (IPSAS) Wu Yu-shan (吳玉山) the seal of the institute during the inauguration ceremony, Hu, in his early 70s, could not hide his delight.

"I am very pleased to take part in the inauguration ceremony," said Hu, an academic once labeled by conservatives as a "poisonous weed" for his liberal stance when the country was under authoritarian rule.

A pioneer in the field of empirical election studies in Taiwan and curious about the essence of power, Hu had irritated the political establishment because of his work.

"It was very difficult for me to apply for subsidies as they [National Science Council officials] said it was forbidden to study power," said Hu, professor of constitutional law at National Taiwan University.

Even when state subsidies were granted, Hu once found secret police monitoring his work from the back of the classroom as he was training pollsters for election studies.

But as Taiwan has undergone democratization, Hu said the environment for the nation's political scientists could not be better.

The establishment of the IPSAS is expected to serve as a milestone for the study of political science in the country, scholars said.

"Although there are political science institutes at various universities in Taiwan, this new institution is unique in its pursuit of originality and eminence," Lee said.

"I hope this place will soon become the home of political scientists in Taiwan, triggering intellectual excellence among scholars in the field," he added.

Wu said the institute is aimed at enhancing cooperation with related institutes in various local universities, facilitating interdisciplinary work with other institutes within the Academia Sinica, as well as linking with related institutions overseas.

"I truly hope the institute will play a positive and high-profile role in this regard," said Wu, one of Taiwan's top political scientists.

IPSAS research will focus on political theory and methodology, comparative politics, Taiwanese politics, international relations and cross-strait relations, Wu added.

Thirty-eight-year-old Lin Jih-wen (林繼文), the youngest aca-demic at the new institute, said he expects the IPSAS to set the agenda for Taiwan's political science studies.

Eyeing Taiwan's unique setting, Hu said the country's rapidly changing political landscape should provide academics with various topics of research, ranging from democratic transformation, national identity, cross-strait ties to public policy.

"Over the past few decades, Taiwan has become a `treasure island' for political scientists. ... We local scholars can indeed spot things that our Western counterparts fail to see," Hu said.

For instance, Hu dubbed President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) latest remark characterizing Taipei-Beijing relations as "one country on each side of the Strait" as a "political earthquake."

"We are at the epicenter of this earthquake and should surely study it thoroughly. And various tremors large or small are yet to come," Hu added.