Alexander Tan

University of Canterbury/Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha, Political Science and International Relations, Faculty Member

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Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) and University Chair Professor of Political Science (adjunct) at the National Chengchi University (Taiwan).

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Speranta Dumitru

Université Paris Cité

Armando Marques-Guedes

UNL - New University of Lisbon

Par Engstrom

University College London

Diana Mata-Codesal

Universitat de Barcelona

Rachel E Smith

University of Aberdeen

Daniel Courgeau

Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques

Sebastián Mauro

Universidad de Buenos Aires

Tomas Dosek

Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru

Luis Moreno

CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Spanish National Research Council)

Alejandro Canales

Universidad de Guadalajara

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Papers by Alexander Tan

Safety in Numbers Taiwan in a Post Trump World

Taiwan Studies Programme, University of Nottingham, 2020

Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations

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Solving the Collective Action Problem Taiwan, New Zealand, and the COVID-19 Battle

Taiwan journal of democracy, 2020

How have Taiwan and New Zealand been able to effectively manage the COVID-19 crisis, while other ... more How have Taiwan and New Zealand been able to effectively manage the COVID-19 crisis, while other countries have done poorly? This essay argues that Taiwan&#39;s and New Zealand&#39;s adroit responses to and management of the pandemic crisis can be attributed to two critical factors-political leadership and political communication. The study offers a theoretical framework based on issue definition, suggesting that the leaderships&#39; ability to move and control the rhetoric by contracting the issue space as well as the leaderships&#39; effective communication of the preferred narrative are significant factors in these two countries&#39; effective pandemic responses.

The Spiral of Deinstitutionalization Untangled: An Observation about the Field Opinion within Kuomintang against Public Opinion during the 2016 Presidential Election Campaign

Issues & Studies, 2017

As political scientists start applying the complex-system approach to study party politics and as... more As political scientists start applying the complex-system approach to study party politics and as business scholars start to apply communication theories to study deinstitutionalization, we prospect a new possibility to study and explain politics within a political party. This study employs a systematically collected field observation data to evaluate Clemente and Roulet’s (2015) “the spiral of deinstitutionalization” framework. Based on analysis of news events and internal reports within Kuomintang from April 20 to October 17, 2015, we believe that this framework facilitates explanation about how the decision of nominating Hung Hsiu-Chu as the party’s first female presidential candidate was replaced three months before the Election Day. We interpret the whole story and provide details that contribute to enriching the framework for future organizational and political party research.

The Philippines’ Institutionalised Alliance with the US: Surviving Duterte’s China Appeasement Policy

National Security Journal, 2021

This paper examines the security partnership of the United States-Philippines during the presiden... more This paper examines the security partnership of the United States-Philippines during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. Using the theoretical framework of alliance institutionalisation, we identified several factors that can determine the strength of alliances and security partnerships. Applying this framework, we suggest that because of deep alliance institutionalisation, the security partnership between the Philippines and the United States is actually quite resilient despite President Duterte’s position on this issue.

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Measuring Currency Power from 2005 to 2018

Politička misao, 2020

The main research goal of this paper is to empirically assess the state of US currency power rela... more The main research goal of this paper is to empirically assess the state of US currency power relative to its main rivals in the period between 2005 and 2018. The most novel aspect of our inquiry is the design of three new composite indices called: Monetary Capability Index (MCI), Quality of Governance Index (QGI) and Currency Internationalization Index (CII). We argue that those indices are indispensable in an attempt to empirically measure the concept of currency power, both its underlying material and non-material resources, as well as the degree of their effective exploatation. Based on the conducted analysis it is visible that material resources are a necessary but not sufficient condition to wield and exert currency power which we proxy by currency internationalization. In that regard quality of governance remains indispensable to this effort. Our measurement shows that US currency power remains unshattered by the global financial crisis (GFC) and US dollar is still placed firm...

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Was 2016 a Realigning Election in Taiwan?

Asian Survey, 2020

The January 2016 presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan produced a dramatic and unprece... more The January 2016 presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan produced a dramatic and unprecedented victory for the Democratic Progressive Party over its long-time rival, the Kuomintang. The party had never had a parliamentary majority before 2016. The elections indicated the potential for fundamental change in Taiwan’s party system. This is what political scientists call a critical realigning election. The problem with identifying these elections, such as the 1896 and 1932 ones in the United States, is that we can only be sure of such an interpretation after a significant amount of time has passed. Still, some of the changes in Taiwan are fundamental enough to make such an evaluation worthwhile. We summarize realigning elections; discuss the factors that may lead to a change in the partisan balance; and describe the growing role of protest parties and social movements in Taiwan politics.

The Strategic Logic of Taiwanization

World Affairs, 2007

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East and South China Seas Maritime Dispute Resolution and Escalation: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs, 2016

Our assumptions about the nature and conduct of contemporary international politics deeply impact... more Our assumptions about the nature and conduct of contemporary international politics deeply impact how we view maritime disputes plaguing the East and South China Seas. In this article, our analysis of the push and pull factors that influence the extent and possible resolution of maritime disputes in East Asia reveals that war is neither opposed in principle nor completely forbidden as an alternative. Amid heightening maritime tensions in the region, we argue that the underlying forces sustaining complex interdependence are what prevent rival states from engaging into a realist-inspired, zero-sum warfare. However, this is not to suggest that economic interdependence creates an absolute power that completely eradicates these flashpoints, and neither do we imply that it faithfully reflects East Asia’s maritime political reality. Although East Asian countries (particularly the more powerful ones) may think that open war can be justified, as a matter of practical utility, avoiding it is ...

The Philippines' Institutionalised Alliance with the US: Surviving Duterte's China Appeasement Policy

National Security Journal, 2021

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Political Polarization and Gridlock as the Result of an Institutional Imbroglio in Taiwan

Asian Studies

Institutionalist theory argues that fairly permanent economic structures and policy-making arrang... more Institutionalist theory argues that fairly permanent economic structures and policy-making arrangements create “institutions” which shape future policy-making and economic performance to a considerable extent (March and Olsen 1989; North 1990; Riker 1982). This perspective suggests that it might be valuable to look for the political institutions that evolved during Taiwan’s development which could have inhibited the country’s adaptability after the mid-1990s. From this perspective, Taiwan’s current institutional imbroglio results from a combination of a complex and somewhat indeterminate constitutional system, a long-time election system that contained some perverse incentives, and its long era of authoritarian rule. This paper, hence, seeks to provide an “institutionalist” explanation for the polarization and gridlock in Taiwan’s politics in the early 21st century.

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An analysis of the 2014 New Zealand general election: do Internet use and online party mobilisation matter?

Political Science

Like many advanced industrial democracies, New Zealand has been experiencing relatively stagnant ... more Like many advanced industrial democracies, New Zealand has been experiencing relatively stagnant voter turnout levels. Much of the blame for low voter turnout has been directed towards voter apathy. The rapid development of internet and communications technologies have made scholars consider the internet as a possible remedy for the participation bias. In this research note, we extend the examination of internet and vote mobilization to the case of New Zealand. We ask whether the mobilization by political parties and other people using the new media make a difference in voter turnout. Using the 2014 New Zealand General Election as the basis of our analysis, we find that traditional modes of voter mobilization make a difference in increasing the probability of a voter to go cast their vote. While we do not find support for the role of internet mobilization in increasing the probability to vote, we find that if internet mobilization is complemented by traditional mobilization, voters are more likely to vote as well. These findings give support to political parties' efforts in 'getting out the vote.'

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Book Review: Narratives, Politics, and the Public Sphere: Struggles over Political Reform in the Final Transition Years in Hong Kong (1992-1994)

J Asian Afr Stud, 2003

Mixed-Member Electoral Systems in Constitutional Context

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Can Parliament Control Independent Agencies? A Comparison of Elections Canada and Elections New Zealand

Page 1. Can Parliament Control Independent Agencies? The Case of Elections Canada By Peter A. F... more

One-Party Rule or Multi-Party Competition?: Chinese Attitudes Toward Party Systems Alternatives

Abstract will be provided by author.

Manufacturing Parties: Re-examining the Transient Nature of Philippine Political Parties

Party Politics, 2005

... De Venecia, Jose (1995) &amp;amp;amp;#x27;Role of Political Parties – Experience of Lakas... more ... De Venecia, Jose (1995) &amp;amp;amp;#x27;Role of Political Parties – Experience of Lakas-NUCD-UMDP&amp;amp;amp;#x27;, in Leopoldo Dejillas (ed.) Role of Political Parties in Government and Society. ... New York: Palgrave.George, TJ (1980) Revolt in Mindanao: The Rise of Islam in Philippine Politics. ...

Emerging Party Systems: An Introduction

Party Politics, 2005

Political Institutions, Democracy, and Economic Recovery

Abstract will be provided by author.

Crouching tiger, lurking dragon: understanding Taiwan's sovereignty and trade linkages in the twenty-first century

International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 2014

This paper seeks to explore and explain the process through which Taiwan utilizes free trade -bot... more This paper seeks to explore and explain the process through which Taiwan utilizes free trade -both at multilateral and bilateral levels -in enhancing its shrinking de facto sovereignty against the backdrop of ubiquitous 'China factor' in the twenty-first century. It argues that China's sinicization project creates a scenario wherein increasing cross-strait stability ironically leads to decreasing de facto sovereignty for Taiwan. Due to this existing cross-strait security dilemma, Taiwanese leaders are being forced to preserve the island's quasi-independent statehood over fears of losing its remaining de facto autonomy over domestic and foreign affairs. In essence, Taiwan chooses to be de facto free by remaining de jure unfree. Taiwan's sovereign space, therefore, becomes a pivotal referent object of its national security policy and strategy. Balancing between the two paradoxical interests of enhancing sovereignty while maintaining the Chinese-dominated cross-strait status quo, underlines the relentless games, changes, and fears that Taiwan confront today.

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Safety in Numbers Taiwan in a Post Trump World

Taiwan Studies Programme, University of Nottingham, 2020

Contemporary Chinese Political Economy and Strategic Relations

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Solving the Collective Action Problem Taiwan, New Zealand, and the COVID-19 Battle

Taiwan journal of democracy, 2020