Law and Economic Development in China Mainland and Taiwan

Abstract

Recent policy changes in Mainland China and Taiwan have supported increased reliance on law in management of the economy and society. Increased complexity in socioeconomic and political relations is seen to require norms of formality and objectivity to replace informal and subjective relational norms associated with tradition. This in turn can create increased demands for the institutional and procedural rigor that legal reforms promise. But legal reform is not only about formalizing the rules for socioeconomic and political behavior - local conditions and local values of morality and civility provide important context.

Keywords: Law, Economic development, China, Taiwan