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Environmental Movement in Democratizing Taiwan (1980–2004): A Political Opportunity Structure Perspective

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East Asian Social Movements

Part of the book series: Nonprofit and Civil Society Studies ((NCSS))

Abstract

This chapter traces the development of Taiwan’s environmentalism over the past two decades with the central question how these social mobilizations for better living quality were related to the overall political transition. A political opportunity structure perspective identifies state autonomy, policy channel, policing of protests, and political ally as the main factors that affect the interaction between state and environmentalism. With this analytical framework, Taiwan’s environmentalism is shown to undergo the following stages of fermentation (1980–1986), radicalization (1987–1992), institutionalization (1993–1999), and incorporation (2000–2004) .

This chapter was originally presented at International Conference on Tradition, Environment and Publicness in Asia and the Middle East, Chiba University, Chiba City, Japan. December 15–16, 2006. The author thanks Vicky Brockman and Jeff Broadbent for comments and suggestions

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Notes

  1. 1.

    China Times 1986/4/28.

  2. 2.

    Chunghwa Daily 1985/6/6.

  3. 3.

    Interview with the Chairperson of Hsinchu City Pollution Prevention Society (1987), 1999/4/20.

  4. 4.

    Independent Evening Post, 1987/9/7.

  5. 5.

    Independent Evening Post, 1987/9/8.

  6. 6.

    China Times 1987/7/15.

  7. 7.

    Central Daily 1988/10/13, 15.

  8. 8.

    China Times, 1992/7/28.

  9. 9.

    Interview with the Chairperson of Hualien County TEPU (1990-1992), 1999/8/19.

  10. 10.

    Interview with an Executive Director of Northern Political Victims Foundation (1988), 1999/7/15.

  11. 11.

    Interview with the Vice-chairperson of TEPU (1999), 1999/3/3.

  12. 12.

    China Times 1988/3/13.

  13. 13.

    Minsheng Daily 1989/4/15.

  14. 14.

    Taiwan Huanching [Taiwan’s Environment] 19(1989): 3.

  15. 15.

    China Times 1991/11/22.

  16. 16.

    Taiwan Huanching [Taiwan’s Environment] 42(1991): 8-11.

  17. 17.

    United Daily 1991/10/4.

  18. 18.

    China Times, 1991/11/1.

  19. 19.

    China Times, 1991/12/1.

  20. 20.

    United Daily 1995/7/2.

  21. 21.

    This information was provided by Ecological Conservation Alliance (1999/12).

  22. 22.

    United Daily 1996/12/7.

  23. 23.

    Interview with the secretary-general of New Environment Foundation (1994-1996), 1999/4/21.

  24. 24.

    Independent Morning Post 1995/8/25.

  25. 25.

    Minsheng Daily 1995/7/14.

  26. 26.

    Interview with the chairperson of Taiwan Greenpeace (1999), 1999/2/9.

  27. 27.

    Economic Daily 1993/4/8.

  28. 28.

    United Daily 1993/4/13.

  29. 29.

    Commercial Times 1995/11/29.

  30. 30.

    United Daily 1995/9/13.

  31. 31.

    Chunghwa Daily 1996/1/23.

  32. 32.

    Independent Evening Post 1999/10/21.

  33. 33.

    United Daily 1994/11/3.

  34. 34.

    China Times, 1996/5/25.

  35. 35.

    Liberty Times 1997/12/20.

  36. 36.

    Commercial Times 1997/12/6.

  37. 37.

    United Daily 1997/12/11.

  38. 38.

    Central Daily 1998/4/11.

  39. 39.

    China Times 1996/8/12.

  40. 40.

    Liberty Times 1996/10/5.

  41. 41.

    Interview with an Assistant of Legislator Su Huan-chi, 1999/12/30.

  42. 42.

    Interview with Su Huan-chi, DPP Legislator (1999), 1999/12/30.

  43. 43.

    China Times 1996/5/25.

  44. 44.

    Interview with the Executive Secretary of Meinung People’s Association, 1999/6/2.

  45. 45.

    Interview with an Assistant to Legislative Yuan Society for Sustainable Development, 2001/12/21.

  46. 46.

    Liberty Times 2001/6/20.

  47. 47.

    Commercial Times 2002/6/6.

  48. 48.

    United Daily 2001/8/25.

  49. 49.

    Minchung Daily 2007/8/22.

  50. 50.

    Economic Daily 2001/9/5.

  51. 51.

    United Daily 2004/5/31.

  52. 52.

    Cited from a speech by the Director of Ecological Education Center of Kaohsiung Teachers’ Association, 2003/5/6.

  53. 53.

    Interview with an Assistant to Legislative Yuan Society for Sustainable Development, 2001/12/21.

  54. 54.

    See http://e-info.org.tw/news/taiwan/ta02061301.htm (2005/10/17).

  55. 55.

    Interview with the Vice-chairperson of Environment and Disaster Policy Association, 2001/12/21.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, National Taiwan University, 1 Roosevelt Rd #4, Taipei, 106, Taiwan

    Ming-sho Ho

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  1. Ming-sho Ho
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Sociology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455, Minnesota, USA

    Jeffrey Broadbent

  2. Sociology Program, Southwest Minnesota State University, State St. 1501, Marshall, 56258, Minnesota, USA

    Vicky Brockman

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Ho, Ms. (2011). Environmental Movement in Democratizing Taiwan (1980–2004): A Political Opportunity Structure Perspective. In: Broadbent, J., Brockman, V. (eds) East Asian Social Movements. Nonprofit and Civil Society Studies. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09626-1_13

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