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The different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world are opening new fields of study in Political Science and International Relations. The need to constantly maintain and enlarge its international space has led Taiwan to develop innovative ways to showcase its response to the pandemic, as well as its willingness to assist other countries. To do that, different instruments associated with types of non-traditional diplomacy have been used. This paper suggests that in the case of Mexico, some features of public and parliamentary diplomacy can be identified in the implementation of the "Taiwan Can Help" Campaign. Through the analysis of the multiple donations of groceries and medical supplies to different communities in Mexico, one of the countries in Latin America with no official diplomatic ties with Taipei, this paper presents how the campaign has been carried through cooperation projects between representatives of the island and lawmakers in the host country. This pattern replicates the strategy followed by Taiwan in nations with mature economies, forging closer ties with parliamentarians in countries with democratic systems, as a way to advance a positive image consisting in shared values and a common future. By focusing on the implementation of this type of public diplomacy during the pandemic, this paper seeks to contribute to a much larger debate around the state of international relations in a post-COVID-19 world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting the model of neoclassical realism and elements of the American-centric nationalist paradigm, the paper examines both systemic factors stemming from the Sino-American power rivalry and internal ones referring to the populist traditions of American foreign policy. The main goal of America regarding Taiwan was to use its relationship with the island in its policy of containment of China by emphasizing Taiwan’s right to decide its future and preventing China from taking over the island by force. Along with deepening bilateral cooperation, the administration used multilateral mechanisms to promote the concept of peace and security across the Taiwan Strait as an essential element of the global order, which increased the number of countries interested in maintaining the status quo. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine heightened concerns about the possibility of PRC’s attack on Taiwan, prompting the Biden administration to intensify pressure on Taipei to accelerate military reform. However, the accentuation of closer relations between Washington and Taipei was interpreted by China as a provocative crossing of more “red lines,” leading to an intensification of repressive measures against Taiwan and the consolidation of bellicose rhetoric directed against both Washington and Taipei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse how the actors and context interacted in the case of a name rectification referendum for the Olympic team of the Republic of China (Taiwan/ROC) based on a strategic relations approach. Through an analysis of supplemental documents and in-depth interviews involving actors and their strategic actions at different levels, three stages/junctures in relation to this case are addressed. The first is a critical event - the referendum proposal submission process. The second is a critical process - the referendum proposal establishment process. The third is a critical outcome - the failure of the referendum. From these three interlinked discussions, this study shows the strategic historical contexts among the stakeholders, which are used to interpret the strategic calculation. The case itself portrays how the outcome of every stage becomes the subsequent strategic knowledge and contexts and can transform into another selective context in relevant cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary world politics, Taiwan is, for different reasons, a subject of great contention. The constant conflict it faces with Beijing over the claim to fully integrate it into its sovereignty, in the conception of a single China, limits its expectations as a possible independent state. Given this, and in a long-standing dispute, the groups in power, both in Beijing and in Taipei, confront each other precisely because of these visions, which is the object of constant encounters and disagreements. Thus, and intending to firmly maintain international recognition through a low-profile strategy, Taiwan has maintained formal ties with different states in different regions of the world, including Latin America and the Caribbean. This has allowed the use of its official links in some countries in the area, which are exposed to pressure from the government of the People’s Republic of China, which appears as a counterweight to Taipei’s efforts. With this background, the purpose of this paper is to describe that the presence of Taiwan in Latin America and the Caribbean depends on the ability of its political leaders to materialize initiatives whose impact is not of great importance in the dynamics of regional politics and economics. This will allow you to avoid situations that jeopardize the achievements achieved so far and allow you to continue with this status quo created over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing interest in participatory budgeting has been observed in local governments around the world. This paper stresses direct citizen participation in the budgeting process leads to good governance, deepens democracy and improves social justice, while also highlighting some challenges in its efficiency and effectiveness. Unlike participatory budgeting, the Sub‐borough Chiefs Forum is a community‐based representative democratic mechanism; it could be regarded as a form of participatory budgeting in a broad sense. If so, then did the Taipei programme simply duplicate the goals of the Forum or lead to a better governance by making up for the inadequacies of the Chiefs Forum? To find out whether the Taipei participatory budgeting programme made a difference, we carried out qualitative and quantitative comparisons of projects passed under the participatory budgeting process and at the Forum. We also interviewed several participatory budgeting participants and sub‐borough chiefs. The findings suggested that participatory budgeting and the Forum generated different proposals and budget requests, and the Taipei programme supplemented the shortcomings of the Forum and therefore led to deeper civic engagement and better urban governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Red House neighbourhood in the Ximen shopping district, located on the south side of Taipei, has been the centre of the city's vibrant culture of sexual inclusivity and gay activism since the early 2000s. Next to the shining billboards at Ximen Square, the Red House presents itself as a reminder of the neighbourhood's historical transformation from a marketplace during the Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan (1895-1945) to a major pornography theatre in the 1970s-1990s, while emerging as a new urban centre for youth culture, entertainment and outdoor gay bars in the 2000s. Addressing issues of urban exclusion and inclusion, this paper focuses on an HIV testing booth located in the Red House area. Based on interviews with social workers and drawing analyses from archival research, this paper reflects on the politics of a place of caring. Providing 15-minute HIV testing sessions free for anyone in the gay community, the testing booth is an outpost of the Taiwan AIDS Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation that receives public funds. Despite the fact that HIV tests are now widely available for purchase - even accessible from vending machines - the testing booth's cosy, discretionary and friendly manner renders it a place of caring, where one can be attended by social workers as well as receiving a consultation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines two Taiwan projects: the National Palace Museum (1965) in Taipei (NPM) and the NPM Southern Branch (NPMSB) in Chiayi (2003). The NPMSB targeted the liberalisation of the NPM from the stained political connotation of Chinese nationalism and constructs anew Taiwan's autonomous national identity. This paper argues that the construction of NPM/NPMSB in Taiwan is a cultural and colonial traumatism of national identity, and a struggle between official Chinese nationalism and rising prior Taiwanese subjectivity in a postcolonial context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – University libraries are increasing their e-book collections. The purpose of this study is to investigate graduate students' usage of and attitudes towards e-books at National Taiwan University. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 20 graduate students from the fields of humanities, social sciences, science and technology, and medicine were interviewed. Findings – The results indicated that graduate students used e-books mainly for the purposes of study and research. Monographs were the type of e-book that students used most often, followed by textbooks and reference tools. While they appreciated the convenience of using e-books, students mentioned several limitations. They liked the keyword search function of e-books. Most of the time, graduate students browsed a few paragraphs or pages online and then printed out copies for further reading. They also borrowed the corresponding paper versions of the e-books from the library. Students preferred that university libraries supply both the electronic and paper versions. In certain aspects, students' use behaviour was found to vary among disciplines. Originality/value – This study highlights multiple aspects of graduate students' use behaviour with respect to e-books. The findings could be used to enhance e-book collection development in university libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to present the experience of National Taiwan University Medical Library (NTUML) in changing the atmosphere of the library, catering to the needs of current users; attracting potential users to the library; and modifying the library's image from a place filled with stacks of books and clusters of computers to a place where people might relax and enjoy reading. Design/methodology/approach -- NTUML commenced the planning stage of the renovation of its Reference Room on the third floor in June 2007. After extensive discussions with the interior designer, the NTUML transformed an abstract idea into the concrete design of the "New Reading Paradise", a diverse and cozy environment suitable for quiet reading, group discussion and interaction. The "New Reading Paradise" was officially open to public in March 2008. The 992-square-meter reading paradise houses a choice collection of books and reference materials, with comfortable, brightly-lit discussion rooms and ergonomically designed reading tables and chairs. Findings -- Records show that from 2005 to 2008 the number of readers using the NTUML Reference Room increased by 52.60 percent. The NTUML conducted a small questionnaire survey of a random sample of its users. Of the 40 respondents, 35 were satisfied with the overall design of the space, and the remaining five thought it was acceptable. A total 37 respondents said that they were more inclined to use the library because of the "New Reading Paradise". Originality/value -- The paper describes how the library transformed itself to become more in tune with the needs of its users. The Reading Paradise reminds the users to slow down, take a mind break, and enjoy reading and thinking. This is a responsibility of the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Transformations in Business & Economics is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to present a systematic approach to provide decision makers in the Taipei City Government and private developers with an opportunity to review their decisions on urban renewal project selections, and to provide a model which could be adapted for other locations. Design/methodology/approach - Porter's diamond model of competitive advantage is applied to establish evaluating criteria on urban competitiveness quality, and a fuzzy set theory combining the PROMETHEE method is used to determine the priority of projects. In assigning scores for urban sustainability, the expected return for each project is calculated for the economic dimension and a subjective scale has been used for the social and environmental dimensions. Genetic algorithms (GA) are introduced to search optimal solutions considering cost-score tradeoffs for decisions on investment ratio determination and renewal type selection. The proposed approach is tested by evaluating 13 urban renewal projects in Taipei City. Findings - The three-stage model proposed by this study has established a comprehensive and systematic approach that considers key factors in urban renewal, assesses renewal projects from the standpoint of urban competitiveness and sustainability, and provides decision makers with helpful guidelines for investment. Research limitations/implications - There is difficulty in re-examining social and environmental issues of the city government's earlier decisions became decision makers did not fully consider these two issues at the beginning of the planning stage, which is a limitation of this research. Originality/value - The results documented in the paper provide many other cities facing similar renewal decision problems with insightful strategies and useful implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the planning and architectural design features, and the post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of the Beitou Branch Library in the Taipei Public Library System. This paper also proposes possible solutions in response to the public's suggestions for improvements. Design/methodology/approach — A library-user survey was employed to appraise the functioning of the Beitou Branch Library by the general public. The questionnaire for this survey was divided into three parts: background information of patrons; patrons' use of the Beitou Branch Library; and patrons' opinions on the facilities of the Beitou Branch Library. The 511 valid returned patron questionnaires were numbered and processed by means of Microsoft Excel statistical analysis. Chi-square testing, ANOVA and Pearson T-test were then used to analyze the relevant data and statistics. Findings — The findings from the Beitou Branch Library survey are as follows: its innovative design and unique architecture and furniture has created a trend for new design concepts in Taiwan; it increases the number of library visits; it increases the visibility of the library and changes the stereotype of the library in the public's mind; it embodies the principles of ecological education and has become a multi-faceted learning center; it has gained the support of local residents and professional experts; it has generated corporate sponsorship of green library buildings; and the average numbers and distribution of frequency indicate that, other than "convenient parking" and "number of computers in the computer area", patrons were generally satisfied with the library's facilities, with all other categories receiving an average rating of 3.5 or greater. Originality/value — This paper provides details of the experience of Taipei Public Library in planning and designing a diamond class green library and may increase public libraries' concerns about the issues of environmental protection and energy conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On October 16, 1998, a mudflow of 2,000 m3 resulting in five deaths in the Neihu area of Taipei city came in the wake of Typhoon Zebert, which delivered approximately 300 mm/day of precipitation. The destructive 50-m-long mudflow rushed down the hill without any forewarning, wreaking severe destruction to the properties below. Based on in-situ investigation, this paper discusses the event scenario and provides critical data analyses to identify the contributing factors and main triggering mechanism of the disaster. The chances of possible water uplift due to groundwater conditions, the engineering properties of the geomaterials, and the influence of man-made changes in the morphology are examined in weighing the importance of these factors and identifying the main trigger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical research conducted in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe has accumulated over the last 50 years and has identified links between mainstream crime (e.g. violence and acquisitive crime) and driving offences (e.g. dangerous driving, drink driving, driving while disqualified). Put simply, international evidence reveals that a driver's willingness to commit driving offences tends to be associated with a willingness to commit other types of offence. Unlike the Anglophone countries and Europe, no peer-reviewed published research in Greater China has considered this matter empirically. Our article uses data from a data set (n = 368) of those convicted of causing death by dangerous driving over a 4-year period (2014 − 2018) in Taipei City, capital of Taiwan, to examine associations with prior criminal history and criminal versatility in this sample of convicted drivers. Our analysis indicates the following results: the Taiwanese sample of serious driving offenders had a somewhat low prevalence of prior conviction – over 70% had no prior conviction record. None of the measures used provides evidence for any significant 'versatility' on the part of drivers convicted of serious driving offences. Further studies in Taiwan scrutinizing patterns in driving and mainstream criminal offences are needed, as are more nuanced analyses of the versatility of offending. Our article makes recommendations for further research in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. Suicidal acts may cluster in time and space and lead to community concerns about further imitative suicidal episodes. Although suicide clusters have been researched in previous studies, less is known about the clustering of non-fatal suicidal behaviour (self-harm). Furthermore, most previous studies used crude temporal and spatial information, e.g., numbers aggregated by month and residence area, for cluster detection analysis. This study aimed to (i) identify space-time clusters of self-harm and suicide using daily incidence data and exact address and (ii) investigate the characteristics of cluster-related suicidal acts. Methods. Data on emergency department presentations for self-harm and suicide deaths in Taipei City and New Taipei City, Taiwan, were used in this study. In all-age and age-specific analyses, self-harm and suicide clusters were identified using space-time permutation scan statistics. A cut-off of 0.10 for the p value was used to identify possible clusters. Logistic regression was used to investigate the characteristics associated with cluster-related episodes. Results. A total of 5,291 self-harm episodes and 1,406 suicides in Taipei City (2004-2006) and 20,531 self-harm episodes and 2,329 suicides in New Taipei City (2012-2016) were included in the analysis. In the two cities, two self-harm clusters (n [number of self-harm episodes or suicide deaths in the cluster] = 4 and 8 in Taipei City), four suicide clusters (n = 3 in Taipei City and n = 4, 11 and 4 in New Taipei City) and two self-harm and suicide combined clusters (n = 4 in Taipei City and n = 8 in New Taipei City) were identified. Space-time clusters of self-harm, suicide, and self-harm and suicide combined accounted for 0.05%, 0.59%, and 0.08% of the respective groups of suicidal acts. Cluster-related episodes of self-harm and suicide were more likely to be male (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26, 3.89) and young people aged 10-29 years (aOR = 2.72, 95% CI 1.43, 5.21) than their cluster-unrelated counterparts. Conclusions. Space-time clusters of self-harm, suicide, and self-harm and suicide combined accounted for a relatively small proportion of suicidal acts and were associated with some sex/age characteristics. Focusing on suicide deaths alone may underestimate the size of some clusters and/or lead to some clusters being overlooked. Future research could consider combining self-harm and suicide data and use social connection information to investigate possible clusters of suicidal acts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of China Quarterly is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although many phthalates are endocrine‐disrupting chemicals that are associated with adverse birth outcomes, the relationship between maternal phthalate exposure and birth outcomes is not yet conclusive. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between prenatal exposure to phthalates in human maternal and cord blood and birth outcomes of the infants. Sixty‐five mother–infant pairs were recruited in Taipei City and New Taipei City, and birth outcomes of the infants were recorded. Twelve phthalate metabolites were measured in maternal and cord blood samples. The mean of mono‐ethyl phthalate, mono‐isobutyl phthalate (MiBP), mono‐n‐butyl phthalate (MnBP), and mono‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) was relatively higher than that of the other metabolites in both maternal and infant blood. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) for mono‐methyl phthalate (MMP) and MnBP between the maternal blood and cord blood of male infants. Mono‐benzyl phthalate (MBzP), MMP, MiBP, and ∑di‐2‐ethylhexyl phthalate (∑DEHP) in maternal blood were inversely correlated with the anogenital index (AGI) of male infants, with a p value between 0.011 and 0.033. Mono‐n‐octyl phthalate, MMP, MiBP, MnBP, and MBzP were positively correlated with the AGI of female infants, with a p value between 0.001 and 0.034. Cord blood levels of MnBP, mono‐(2‐ethyl‐5‐oxohexyl)‐phthalate, MEHP, and ∑DEHP were found to be inversely associated with head circumference in all the infants, adjusted for gestational age. Phthalate monoesters are potentially estrogenic and antiandrogenic chemicals. Longitudinal follow‐up of the present study population could help clarify the long‐term impact of phthalates on growth and the health effects of background exposure levels. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:715–725. © 2022 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Similar to a colonial state, a settler state is governed by an outside regime. In comparison with conventional colonists, however, the settler rulers regard the settled land as their homeland, rather than just a land with exploitable resources. To secure its legitimacy, the settler government has to strongly control the locals. Democratization could undermine settler rule and the settler state’s built environment could be affected by such a political transition and subsequent political transformation. This article explores the implications of settler urban legacies by examining an iconic landmark and public housing policies in Taipei City, Taiwan. The results suggest that the transition of settler rule has given rise to urban changes related to the interests of the locals. The paper outlines the city’s future urban scene, because settler urban legacies were deeply rooted in the political and urban landscapes of the nation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The concept of sustainability has been used by city governments worldwide to promote urban development. For some the term represents an archetypal postpolitical construct that enables urban populations and policy makers to confront collective problems in a consensus-driven way. In short, it enables a new conflict-free politics to emerge within cities. This paper uses the example of Taipei, Taiwan to explore how sustainable development agendas in a postcolonial city, which has a relatively young democratic system, are articulated and with what effects. It examines the utility of recent postpolitical writing as an explanatory frame for contemporary political changes. It documents how and in what ways postpolitical agendas have been established and how they have been used to nullify conflict by shifting attention away from grassroots concerns over globally oriented developmentalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meandering through the most densely populated metropolitan areas of Taipei, Taiwan, the Danshui River and its tributaries have undergone the construction of 14 wetlands since 2004, as a means to improve water quality. This study was conducted to examine the functional capabilities associated with treating non-point source pollution through these riparian wetlands. Trend analysis was used to differentiate dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, ammonia, and Escherichia coli, among 13 sampling sites using both functions of a Mann-Kendall test and a seasonal Mann-Kendall test. The results show that water quality in Taipei metropolitan rivers has been improving since increasing the number of constructed wetlands and connecting households to the public sewage system. The concentration of pollutants such as those influencing biochemical oxygen demand have gradually declined in drought seasons because riparian wetlands contribute a base flow to dilute riverine pollutants. This paper indicates that the creation of treatment systems influences dissolved oxygen conditions at the municipal scale, suggesting that constructed wetlands could stabilize water quality during extreme hydrological events and improve water quality particularly in times of drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a Nash bargaining model to study the average daily rate per rented hotel room. It then examines the model with data from international tourist hotels in Taipei, Taiwan. The empirical results indicate that: (1) an increase in the percentage of rented rooms taken by independent travellers (the independent traveller ratio) could significantly raise the average daily rate; (2) the average daily rate paid by independent travellers is significantly higher than that paid by group travellers; and (3) any improvement of hotel operators' relative bargaining power in relation to independent or group travellers will significantly raise hotels' average daily rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses a network approach to examine the coordination of protective services for the elderly in Taipei City, Taiwan. This article aims to examine the network structures and organizational roles in protective services for the elderly. The results indicate that a variety of organizations were involved in the protective service network for the elderly in Taipei City. The diversity of agencies working together supports literature claims that no single type of organization can provide a comprehensive range of services for the elderly who need to be protected. In terms of network structures, the results show that patterns of interorganizational coordination do depend on the kind of resources being exchanged. There are substantial exchanges among agencies in the client referral network, which is in contrast to fairly low levels of exchanges that exist in the other types of exchange. Taipei City has made an effort in developing a coordinated client referral network to protect the elderly since client referral serves an important function for organizations to meet the multiple needs of the elderly.

This article discusses the "museumification" of an urban village in Taipei into the Treasure Hill Artist Village in the context of wider debates on gentrification and the redevelopment of marginal urban spaces. Populated by soldiers evacuated to Taiwan following the Chinese Civil War, Treasure Hill became a hybrid space, combining welfare provision for elderly veterans with an artist colony, forming part of the Taipei Cultural Foundation. Lauded as a compromise that combined social, cultural and economic aspects of urban regeneration, the mix of high-modernist paternalism and neoliberal place-making resulted in the integration of the space into the existing city bureaucracy as a museum-like institution, with elderly residents and artists becoming exhibits in a living diorama. Although widely understood as "gentrification" at the time, the article argues that the museumification of Treasure Hill was a process led by a coalition of state and spatial experts which has distinct implications for the study of state-led neighbourhood amelioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the development of cross-Strait trade relations since 1978. Before the mid-1980s, relations were mainly initiated by Beijing; afterwards, changes in both domestic and international economic conditions forced Taipei to take a more active role in the two-way trade. Nevertheless, both the Taipei government and scholars have urged local enterprises to cooperate with those of other countries for investment in mainland China to avoid political risks during the current uncertainties in cross-Strait relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Taipei basin's land use is portrayed in a new map that used as its main data source a series of very large scale computer-drawn land use maps that were produced by the Taiwan government to facilitate future land use planning on the island. The new map displays eight major categories of land use at a scale of approximately 1:42,000. With accompanying tables, text, and insets, this map sheet provides a valuable tool for understanding the patterns and processes of urban development and land use change in the Taipei area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main goal of the study is to explore if organisational inclusion features prominently in the expatriation policies of companies in emerging markets. In this study, the expatriation policies of three Taiwanese financial services institutions were examined to establish the presence or lack of organisational inclusion and its effect on expatriate mission accomplishment. In-depth interviews with the expatriates and face-to-face focus group discussions with senior HR managers at their headquarters in Taipei were employed to collect data from financial services institutions. The findings revealed that organisational inclusion is low, but the organizations are considering a more inclusive approach in future. Among the factors that emphasize the need for more organisational inclusion expatriation are cultural competence, social norms adjustment, positive mindset, professional skills and career-related factors. The study contributes to knowledge on how the financial services industry in emerging economies in the Chinese context view organisational inclusion in their expatriation policies. It further provides an insight of the necessity to embrace organisational inclusion in the expatriation policies to enhance expatriate mission accomplishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines the contested dynamics of postcolonial remembering in Taiwan. Focusing on the long-suppressed 228 massacre in particular and the White Terror period in general, we bring Taiwan's postcolonial remembering into international and intercultural communication studies by analyzing two contemporary sites: Taipei's 228 Memorial Museum and the Cihu Memorial Sculpture Park. As our case studies demonstrate, Taiwan's postcolonial remembering offers unique indications of how public memory work can help move a culture toward a sense of reconciliation, thus promoting what one of our collaborators called "the end of fear." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan's most significant natural hazards are caused by hydrological extremes resulting from excessive precipitation. The threat of extreme precipitation is posed by several different types of weather patterns that affect Taiwan. This study examined the bi‐decadal changes in rainfall by defining an extreme precipitation occurrence (EPO) for a range of event durations from 1 to 24 hr. Three major weather types affecting EPO in Taiwan were identified from 1993 to 2015: the front type consisting of either a frontal zone or convective systems developing with an apparent Meiyu cloudband, diurnal rainfall events when no apparent synoptic features are present, and a tropical cyclone (TC) type according to the maximum sustained wind radius of a TC. Results show that TC‐type events have the greatest overall contribution to EPO at longer (>6 hr) durations. Diurnal/afternoon convection events contribute most to the shorter (<3 hr) duration EPO, while frontal/Meiyu systems prevail in the medium (3–6 hr) duration. EPO of almost all durations have experienced an increase, with the 3‐ and 12‐hr EPO having increased by 4.6 days each over the 23 years. However, apparent decadal‐scale variability exists in these EPO associated with the decreasing tendency of EPO after the mid‐2000s, particularly the longer duration (>6 hr) EPO associated with the TC‐type events in summer. The distinction between EPO trends for the entire island of Taiwan and for the Taipei metropolitan area alone (northern Taiwan, population of 7 million) were compared, and an intriguing interannual variation is reported in the TC‐type EPO associated with the TC season 1 year to a year and half just before an El Niño–Southern Oscillation event. The analysis here provides refined statistical distributions of extreme rainfall, and these can contribute to the revision of governmental definitions for weather disasters that are used in mitigation and response strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2009, in an area of Taiwan distinguished by family-operated factories, a young Thai fell victim to sudden unexplained death syndrome. His Indonesian female lover may have been an indirect cause of his death, as her previous lover may have paid for the use of black magic against him. The victim's older brother originally wanted to seek revenge, but his ageing mother dissuaded him. The brother was, in turn, involved with an Indonesian woman in Taiwan, whose child by him he continued to support after her return home. This loyalty led his Taiwanese lover to stab him in his sleep. While he survived, these episodes serve to illustrate the lives and losses of Thai and other transnational migrant workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article illuminates the social nature of bureaucratic practice by analyzing the everyday speech of bureaucrats in a polyglossic society. My ethnographic analysis shows how Taipei city government administrators mobilize ideologies associated with Taiwan's two primary languages, and stereotypes associated with bureaucracy, to undermine both. Instead, they present themselves as a postethnonational and postbureaucratic avant-garde of their new democracy. In doing so, they draw on local values and tropes of legitimation, which place a premium on the personalistic relations and social imbrication of government actors-relations that democracy, for all its potential to spawn dangerous chaos, is seen to facilitate. They represent their government employer not by claiming a superordinate status for it but by situating it as one participant within a complex of institutions, networks, and values. In illuminating both the internally and the externally social nature of government bureaucracy, I highlight the creative and progressive possibilities hidden within the drab government office. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses how government agencies allocate their program budgets in response to citizen dissatisfaction. It examines three unpopular public programs with varying budget allocations overseen by different government agencies in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The article argues that low levels of citizen satisfaction do not necessarily lead to budget cuts. Rather, budget allocation is mediated by the policy preference of the elected mayor and the intrinsic characteristics of a program. An unpopular program gets cut only if it is of less political priority and there is a lack of interest in the given agency. According to the bureau-shaping model, bureau heads only expand programs give them primacy as policy makers rather than program operators or fund distributers. However, this article shows that whether the program does this or not, the program can still be in preference if the mayor remains in sympathy with the program or the program is associated with the agency's policy function. The former would lead to the reallocation of funds for gaining citizen support; the latter would earn more funds to improve the program performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The function of 'learning' as a key to enhancing public responsiveness, outwards accountability and performance improvement has been well identified. But is there any variation in impact if different learning roles are played by people at different levels in organisational hierarchies? Through a comparative study of two frontline service systems and their performance management mechanism in Taipei City of Taiwan, the author identifies two kinds of learning: policy learning and instrumental learning, and argues that if policy learning is taken by a policymaking/supervisory agency, it will strengthen upwards accountability of its subordinate executive agencies at the expense of outwards accountability, and will stimulate their instrumental learning for target-based performance measurement, on the other hand, if policy learning spurred by their own performance evaluation is taken by executive agencies, it will strengthen their outwards accountability without any negative impact on upwards accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this study is to evaluate the operational efficiency of 23 four- and five-plum international tourist hotels (ITHs) in Taipei in 2006, paying attention to efficiency improvement using a non-radial data envelopment analysis (DEA) model. Design/methodology/approach -- A non-radial DEA model is proposed to improve the efficiency of inefficient hotels focusing on the output side by allowing for non-proportional reductions in each positive input or augmentations in each positive output. The model considers four inputs (total number of rooms, total number of employees, food and beverage (F&B) capacity, and total operating cost) and three outputs (guest room revenues, F&B revenues, and other revenues); variable returns to scale are assumed. Findings -- The empirical results show that the radial and non-radial DEA models provide not only different performance measurements for the corresponding hotels but also different benchmarks from different angles for improving efficiency. Practical implications -- Hoteliers or other service providers should find this alternative DEA model helpful and more flexible in re-examining their resource utilization and possibly reshuffling their resource pool. Originality/value -- Unlike traditional DEA studies, which focus on measuring efficiency while ignoring differences among input or output variables, this study pays attention to efficiency improvement by considering changes in output with non-proportional augmentations to improve efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Keelung River is one of the major branches of the Danshuei River estuarine system, which runs the metropolitan capital city of Taipei, Taiwan, and receives a large of amount of wastewater. The dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration is generally low in the tidal portion of the Keelung River. Hypoxia/anoxia occurs often, particularly during a low-flow period. The sediment oxygen demand (SOD) amounts to a significant value, hence increasing the total oxygen demand load of the river. The present work reports on laboratory SOD made on grab sediment core samples in situ that are undisturbed. The results reveal that SOD values fluctuate with variations in seasons and are higher in summer due to a high-temperature effect. It was found in the laboratory tests that the average SOD (at 20 °C) value is 0.76 g/m2/day and the maximum SOD (at 20 °C) value reaches 1.58 g/m2/day. The mean values of measured SOD at each station were adopted in the vertical two-dimensional water quality model to simulate the DO distribution along the tidal Keelung River. The simulated results are in reasonable agreement with the measured DO distribution in the river. Model sensitivity analyses were also conducted with increasing and decreasing SOD. It reveals that SOD is an important parameter that affects the DO distribution in the tidal estuary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial companies use celebrities extensively with target customer segments to increase the appeal of their offerings. The instrument of celebrity endorsement has nowadays become a pervasive element in advertising and communication management. However, the use of celebrities in political campaigns and the communication strategies of political organisations is an often overlooked and under-researched topic. Whilst many strategic as well as tactical aspects of political campaigning have come under scrutiny from a marketing perspective, the concept of celebrity political endorsement (CPE) has not been analysed in detail in the political marketing literature. This article will therefore use the Taipei City Councillor election in 2002 as an initial and descriptive case study of celebrity endorsement in politics. The main exploratory focus is on the perception of the interviewees relating to aspects of CPE within the frame-work of Taiwanese politics in general, and the Taipei council election in particular. Therefore, by using case study inquiry, it is not the authors' intention to establish 'facts' but rather identify the actors' interpretations and perceptions in order to understand and gauge contemporary models of CPE. The results from the case study analysis are subsequently discussed with regard to a parsimonious selection of existing theoretical and conceptual literature on celebrity endorsement in marketing management. As such, this article contributes to an understanding of the application of a marketing tool in a political marketing management situation, and it also increases our understanding of non-US and Western European political settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]