ABSTRACT
Since World War II, Taiwan has made considerable progress in economic affluence and growth, income equality, popular welfare, political stability, democracy and freedom, and military security (Chapters 3 and 4 will present data supporting this contention). In addition to the "Taiwan success story" that these achievements imply by themselves, the island's record has also been rather remarkable in view of the prevailing theoretical expectations in Western social science research. The collective evidence from recent cross-national studies in economics, sociology, and political science suggests strongly that it is difficult to achieve many of these values concurrently. The empirical relationships among the pertinent variables often contradict popular hunches that "good things" should go together in a "virtuous cycle," and suggest instead the presence of important value tradeoffs. We present below the major policy paradoxes or conundra indicated by such research and theorizing.
