Knowledge production in a latecomer: reproducing economics in Taiwan
Wan-wen CHU
Abstract
It is common for academic institutions in latecomer countries to emulate the Western model. The recent wave of neo-liberal globalization has only intensified the Western impact. This paper examines this process, in particular, of how methods of conducting academic evaluation were adapted and the implications for local knowledge production, using the field of economics in Taiwan as an example. It is shown that some kind of pseudo 'globalized' evaluation criterion, such as inclusion in SSCI journals, was adopted to judge the 'global competitiveness' of local knowledge production. It often leads to devoting academic resources to follow issues raised in the West, and neglecting studying local problems. It is argued here that the latecomers can only make contributions to the world by theorizing our own development experiences. And that is the right way to globalize.
Keywords: knowledge production; economics; SSCI; evaluation criterion; globalization
Author’s biography
Wan-wen Chu is Research Fellow at the Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan. Her books include, Beyond Late Development: Taiwan's Upgrading Polices (MIT, 2003, with Alice Amsden, Chinese-language edition published by Linking, Taipei, 2003), Engine of Economic Growth (Taishe, 2002, in Chinese) and Globalization and the Taiwan Economy (Taishe, 2003, in Chinese).