Institutional Learning and the Politics of Identity The Legislative Yuan and National Identity Formation in Taiwan, 2000-2008
Open Access DepositedThis thesis examines how Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan shaped the trajectory of national identity formation during the presidency of Chen Shui-bian (2000–2008), arguing that legislative constraint functioned not only as a barrier but also as a catalyst for institutional learning. Drawing on three key cases, the Referendum Law, constitutional reform efforts, and educational and cultural policy, it identifies a clear progression in executive–legislative interaction, moving from direct confrontation to proceduralized contestation and ultimately to managed, incremental change. While existing scholarship emphasizes divided government and legislative veto power as sources of gridlock, this study demonstrates that repeated institutional encounters prompted both the Democratic Progressive Party and the Kuomintang-led opposition to adapt their strategies over time. This process of adaptation shifted identity politics away from high-risk, sovereignty-driven initiatives toward more gradual and socially embedded forms of change, particularly in the cultural and educational domains. Situated within the frameworks of veto player theory and historical institutionalism, the thesis advances a dynamic account of how political actors learn to operate within institutional constraints, even in the absence of changes in partisan balance. The findings suggest that Taiwan’s democratic institutions not only mediated conflict but transformed it, embedding identity contestation within stable procedural frameworks and offering broader insights into how divided democracies can manage deeply contested political issues.
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