Capacity building for societal governance: managing knowledge for alternative development – an analysis of two cases in Taiwan

Abstract

Facing an accelerated trend of globalisation, industrial late-comers need to protect themselves from unfair competition from superior economies and bad consequences of rapid integration. As the tradition of the “developmental state” in many East Asian countries becomes less feasible, another model – “alternative development” – has been experimented with and has experienced some success in recent years. This article examines two cases in Taiwan to demonstrate how community economies might be reactivated without the strong hand of the government. In both cases, social entrepreneurs have governed the knowledge needed for local economies through a “platform” mechanism in a highly effective manner. The analysis challenges traditional wisdoms and indicates a reasonable policy alternative for inferior economies to survive global competition with the supportive but passive involvement of public administration.