Humanities and Social Issues

In response to domestic and international situations and the science and technology development strategies of various countries, and taking inventory of Taiwan's current problems and challenges, Taiwan proposed the "White Paper on Science and Technology (2023-2035)" in 2023, outlining the goals to realize Taiwan’s 2035 vision of "Forward-looking and Innovation, Democracy and Inclusiveness, Resilience and Sustainability". In order to realize this vision, the government must respond to the needs of people's lives and society and combine the power of science and technology to drive the overall transformation of the country from the perspectives of humanities and society.

To this end, based on the original scientific research in the humanities and social sciences, the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) established the national think tank "Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET)" in October 2023, combining experts in humanities and social domains. Apart from deploying science and technology budgets and expanding and deepening cross-domain research on technology, democracy, and society, it also conducts cross-domain systematic forward-looking research on the impact of global and Taiwan politics, social changes, and technology applications. The scope includes the ethical impact and the formulation of laws and regulations on major technology applications, the perfection of the industrial development ecosystem, the assessment of socio-economic and political impacts, the strengthening of the organizational infrastructure of a resilient society, the consolidation and deepening of democratic systems, the promotion of Taiwan geopolitical strategic status, and the construction of social security system. The think tank will also put forward policy planning suggestions.

In addition, NSTC also established the "Platform for the Development of Sustainable Technology in Taiwan Indigenous Societies" in September 2022 to promote full cross-border and cross-domain dialogue between ethnic groups, government agencies, academia, and civil groups to focus on key issues and connect basic administrative information from relevant agencies such as Council of Indigenous Peoples, with the expectation to provide solutions for social development issues of indigenous peoples. Based on the three aspects of core values of humanities and society sciences, i.e., "resilient society", "inclusive growth", and "humanistic reflection", humanities and social science and technology policies will make decisions through a comprehensive understanding of social issues and create a more inclusive society.