Travel Grant 2023

The TAP Travel Scholarship was again awarded to three students with exciting research projects in 2023. Here is a little insight into their research projects:

Florian Paulsen

Young, Taiwanese, and entrepreneurial: navigating engagement with Mainland China’s production networks and value chains

The growing reliance on P.R. China-dominated ‘red supply chains’ has raised global concerns regarding trade disruptions, restrictions, and national security implications. In this context, Taiwan, with its unique political status, democratic governance, and intricate economic relationship with China, offers valuable research insights. However, scant scholarly focus has been directed towards those who inherently co-shape forthcoming economic cross-strait trajectories: Taiwan's present and future entrepreneurs. “Young, Taiwanese, and entrepreneurial” – the project adopts an exploratory methodology to investigate the level of awareness among young Taiwanese entrepreneurs concerning ‘red supply chains’, explore the risks and opportunities they face, and analyze their attitudes and strategies while engaging with Chinese value chains and production networks. The younger generations have grown up in a democratic and increasingly globalized environment, shaping and fostering a collective Taiwanese identity distinct from Chinese self-identification. Nonetheless, they also exhibit increased openness towards the business opportunities presented not only by China's position in global value chains but also by its growing consumerist society. This research employs a mixed-methods approach, incorporating in-depth interviews and focus-group discussions with private and public sector stakeholders in Taipei and Kaohsiung. Additionally, a cross-sectional online survey will be conducted to gather broader insights. The findings from this exploratory research will contribute to a deeper understanding of how young Taiwanese entrepreneurs navigate economic liberalism while engaging with their Chinese counterparts.

Alena Dorakh

Alena Dorakh currently works on a research project on the economic impact of Taiwanese foreign direct investment (FDI) in the European Union's semiconductor industry. Specifically, she proposes, calculates, and analyzes the FDI capacity index to measure the EU members' ability to attract and absorb FDI from Taiwan by establishing a semiconductor fabrication facility, thereby securing the semiconductor supply chain. Additionally, her research includes an evaluation of the indirect effects of PR Chinese semiconductor policy restrictions, which create opportunities for the Taiwanese semiconductor companies to strengthen their trade and FDI connections with the EU.