Two separate yet symbiotic questions have intrigued many of us in the past two decades: How did Taiwan become a part of the Asian miracle, and how can the People's Republic of China (PRC) benefit from its experience? J. Megan Greene helps us answer these questions by providing a glimpse into Taiwan's unique historical trajectory in science and technology development in a book that focuses on the evolution of Taiwan, or the Republic of China (ROC), into a developmental state.
Her central issue is whether the “miracle” is the oeuvre of the government of Taiwan, as it has been widely perceived. With strong evidence from archival materials in the Second Historical Archives in Nanjing and Academia Sinica in Taiwan, Greene reaches a conclusion that runs counter to that assumption and provides a rather more nuanced analysis of how the developmental state came into being in Taiwan.
Three main forces were at work, Greene argues, to create the miracle: first, the state planners whose main endeavors were concentrated on developing Taiwan within its limited resources; second, the technocrats and “outsiders,” including foreign advisors and academics, who were the chief promoters of large-scale development in science and technology (S&T); and third, the political leaders who were more concerned with political survival than developing S&T until they saw the crucial link between the two. Only when the political leaders adopted a rigorous policy to advance S&T did a developmental state begin to emerge.
The book extends its examination to the beginning of the Nanjing Decade in 1927, as Greene attempts to construct a holistic picture starting from the way in which the Nationalist government perceived its role in S&T from its inception. The five chapters, excluding the introduction and conclusion, are designed to follow a time line demarcated by shifts in the historical trajectory of the ROC: from 1927 to the end of the Sino-Japanese War in 1945; from 1945 to the cessation of U.S. aid to Taiwan in 1965; from 1965 to the ROC's adoption of an unwavering policy toward S&T development in 1978; and from 1978 to the zenith of Taiwan's economic glory in the 1990s.
In chapter 1, Greene describes the leadership of the Nationalist government as generally having a meager understanding of the importance of S&T before the 1940s, although various groups within the government tried to promote science education and manpower development for industry. Right after retreating to Taiwan in 1949, as revealed in chapter 2, the government's interest in S&T development deteriorated further, for its main concern at the time was to retake the mainland. Chapter 3 follows the work of technocrats in advocating the significance of S&T from the mid-1960s and in bringing foreign advisors to Taiwan to influence political leaders. Chapter 4 examines the government's effort in manpower planning and education, which generally failed to meet the expectations of the technocrats and advisors. But, as chapter 5 notes, political leaders joined state planners and technocrats in their pursuit of S&T development between 1978 and 1982, after they finally realized its importance. The creation of the Science and Technology Advisory Group and the Hsinchu Science Park were milestones that marked the turning point in the ROC economic miracle.
Based on the history of S&T development in Taiwan, Greene makes a strong case that the PRC should learn from Taiwan's experience. By first clearly identifying the PRC as a developmental state in which, unlike Taiwan, political leaders were the “driving force” (p. 152) of S&T development, Greene suggests that the Beijing government should increase its effort to bring technocrats, scientists, and outside advisors to join its cause. Only by galvanizing their support as well as garnering their collective wisdom can the PRC attain its modernization goal.
Overall, the research in this book is solid, its arguments cogent, and the writing clear. The author's use of the “developmental state” as a theoretical framework for her analysis fits very well with the ongoing discussion on the role of the state in this increasingly global world. If there is any criticism at all, I wish Greene had done more to delineate the differences between political leaders and state planners. This book is suitable not only for academics, but also for general readers who are interested in the history of Taiwan, questions about the Asian miracle, and even issues related to globalization.
