Various scholars have addressed the role of past institutions in current developments. Many of those studies have focused on cases in the same geographical regions: Europe and South America. These...Show moreVarious scholars have addressed the role of past institutions in current developments. Many of those studies have focused on cases in the same geographical regions: Europe and South America. These studies concluded that institutional legacies regularly have a distinct influence on current events, providing constraints and opportunities. This study tests this theory in a region that has been underrepresented in the literature: Asia. By conducting a case study of Taiwan, this research assesses continuities in electoral institutions from the authoritarian era into the process of democratic consolidation. Based on the findings of this examination, this study concludes that the institutional legacies in the political society of Taiwan have had an identifiable but ambiguous impact in the process of democratic consolidation.Show less
