Social and Political Data Science: Introduction

Karl Ho

School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences

University of Texas at Dallas

Taiwan and Texas:
Research and Exchange programs at UTD

Prepared for presentation at the "Bringing Taiwan Studies to Texas and Beyond" Conference hosted by the Taiwan & East Asia Studies Program, Center for International Studies, University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas, May 7, 2022

The late Dr. Harold D. Clarke, who has been instrumental in many research and exchange accomplishments to Taiwan studies not limited to UTD.  He brought Taiwan to the big world and let the world  know the bigger Taiwan.

Paying tribute to:

Speaker bio.

Source: Texas House Resolution 186 proposed by Rep. Carl O. Sherman (Dallas-Desoto) 

Passed with Yeas (127) in May, 2021

Source: Texas House Resolution 186 proposed by Rep. Sherman

By: Sherman, Sr. H.R. No. 186

  R E S O L U T I O N

         WHEREAS, The longstanding bonds of friendship between the United States and Taiwan, embodied in the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, continue to yield important economic, strategic, and cultural benefits; and

         WHEREAS, Taiwan ranks as the United States' 10th largest

  trading partner, and in 2019, bilateral trade in goods reached

  $85.5 billion; the seventh-largest export market for

  U.S. agricultural products, Taiwan's biennial agricultural trade

  goodwill missions result in multibillion-dollar supply deals, and its annually dispatched delegations to the SelectUSA Investment Summit boost investment; Taiwan's recent action to lift restrictions on U.S. beef and pork beginning in January 2021 will help enhance bilateral trade; and

         WHEREAS, The robust US-Taiwan trade and investment

  partnership provides a solid foundation for a mutually beneficial

  bilateral trade agreement (BTA) to spur job creation, further

  expand the global market, and secure international supply chains;

  Taiwan is well positioned to play an important role in augmenting

  the revitalization of the global supply chain as part of the

  post-pandemic economic recovery; and

  • Why Taiwan and Texas?

  • Texas, not Beyond

  • Burning questions in the multiverse

  • Reflections

Overview

Texas has been one of the top export states and Taiwan is the top 10th overseas market for the Lone Star state.  While most of the trade commodities focus on computer hardware, both Taiwan and Texas are historically tied in technological partnership and developments.  Taiwan is reaching the world’s top leadership in semiconductor and computer chip industries.  To maintain such a status, the high-tech country has to reposition to broaden its investments and galvanize synergy with its top partners in most needed areas.  

 

Overview

These include human capital and science capital developments, in particular with Texas.   One such example is to introduce English as official medium of education and hopefully as the country’s office language within a decade.   In this proposal, I will share the experience in the University of Texas at Dallas and give roadmaps of synergetic developments between Taiwan and more specifically North Texas.  The programs include the most recent Data Science exchange program we build with partner university in Taiwan and how we envision training new cohorts of talents through active academic and research exchange programs on both sides.  

Overview

Taiwan, as well as Texas, has to reposition and refocus on not just maintaining but upgrading its leverage in the new era and under the new world order.

Overview

How Texas can help?

Texas government

Texas government

Texas government

Texas government

  • Since 1988, Texas and Taiwan have maintained a sister-state relationship, and they enjoy particularly close economic ties; Taiwanese firms have invested billions of dollars in a wide range of Texas businesses

    • in 2019, bilateral trade in goods reached $85.5 billion;

    • Taiwan is Texas' 10th largest foreign market

    • in 2019, Taiwan imported nearly $8.47 billion in

        commodities from Texas, including:

      • computers and electronics,

      • industrial machinery equipment,

      • chemicals

      • and foodstuffs

    • Texas imported over $3.66 billion in Taiwanese goods,

       primarily computers, electronics, metal products, transportation

       equipment, and industrial machinery

Texas and Taiwan

  • Taiwan is the seventh-largest export market for U.S. agricultural products

  • Texas imported over $3.66 billion in Taiwanese goods,

    •  primarily computers, electronics, metal products, transportation

       equipment, and industrial machinery

Texas and Taiwan

  • Inaugurated in 2016, titled by late Dr. Harold D. Clarke

    • Supported by Taiwan Studies programs (Texas,
      Illinois State)
    • Sponsored by MOE, MOFA and Taiwan community leaders
      in US
    • Four events (2016, 2018, 2019, 2020)
    • Topics: Elections, Cross-strait relations, Taiwan-US-China
      relations
    • Guest speakers from over 20 universities, crossing
      Taiwan, Europe, New Zealand and US
       

Taiwan Democracy Symposium

  • Inaugurated in 2016, titled by late Dr. Harold Clarke

    • Supported by Taiwan Studies programs (Texas,
      Illinois State)
    • Sponsored by MOE, MOFA and Taiwan community leaders
      in US
    • Synergized 
    • Four events (2016, 2018, 2019, 2020)
    • Topics: Elections, Cross-strait relations, Taiwan-US-China
      relations
    • Guest speakers from over 20 universities, Taiwan,
      Europe and US
       

Taiwan Democracy Symposium

  • What is current position of
    Taiwan and Texas?

  • What would be the different
    scenarios in the future multiverse?

Burning questions in the multiverse

Source: IMDB

Although the United States and Europe are trying to boost their own domestic design and production of semiconductors, they do not have the abilities to mass produce the most advanced designs that the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, can make.

- New York Times 1/26/2022

 

Case study: Taiwan industry

Source: 2021 State of the U.S. Semiconductor Industry

  • The foundry model is a microelectronics engineering and manufacturing business model consisting of a semiconductor fabrication plant, or foundry, and an integrated circuit design operation, each belonging to separate companies or subsidiaries.

The Foundry Model

  • Original Equipment Manufacturer or OEM is a company that manufactures products or parts to a  the buyer company selling the products under its own brand.

  • In other words, OEM company does not have own brand.

  • Recently, Taiwan is getting renowned of its brands such as TSMC and becomes world leader. What is next?

Beyond OEM

Beyond OEM

Beyond OEM

  • Like TSMC, Taiwan is in a new era of growth.

  • Position is different compared to 2000s.

    • US-China-Taiwan trilateral relations
    • Hong Kong
    • In a quick moment, Taiwan becomes the most important hub of semiconductors, which is at heart of most new technologies

  • Must reposition and cope with head wind

Beyond OEM

  • Lesson from data science: What can be learnt from social sciences?

    • Look beyond the big data

    • Wean from single discipline

    • Embrace big changes from inside

    • Focus on human

    • Human capital 

      • Science program reform

      • Beyond survival analysis

      • Foster alliance

  • the needs to diversify:

    • To cross disciplinary borders

    • e.g. medicine, data science, IT and AI

  • the needs to invest more surgically:

    • To galvanize support base but to target most important areas and strategic partners

  • the needs to reform:

    • to learn from ourselves and others

    • to plan for next steps and next decades

  • the needs to build next generations

    • to encourage more Taiwanese students to study and stay in Texas

    • to train more graduate and doctorate students as successors

Challenges

Sinology may perhaps once have sufficed as an umbrella for Taiwan studies, but those days are gone. The field of Taiwan studies has grown to maturity, and it can stand now on its own two feet.”

 

  • In a recent blog posted on the University of Nottingham Taiwan Studies Programme website Wang and Achen put writing on the wall how epistemological development of Taiwan studies distinguishes from the long history of sinology.  Although the latter seemingly employs same or common tools such as language and cultural history, knowledge accumulation takes on different trajectories in different historical moments, in many cases, driven by political events and regime movements.   

Reflections

  •  One such factor is the developments of democracy and autocracy.  At certain point in time, China and Taiwan might have crossed paths and shared common expectations:  one was at height of economic reforms and the other paddling toward full democracy.  That flash point however was a brief encounter, when China moved toward further authoritarian rule while achieving economic success and Taiwan opened up further to reach full rank democracy.  
     
  • The science of knowledge is not built on static matter.  Instead, the process is dynamic and pluralistic.  In other words, not one period of time nor one area of research dictates the path of scientific inquiries.  No Taiwan studies scholars, for example, can preclude at a certain time in future this field or discipline will congregate with sinology or guide new directions of synergy of the two.

Reflections

  • From TY and Chris, I learn:
    • We must stay forward looking
      • Looking at past and even present will not make island state Taiwan survive the big waves of innovations with undercurrent from political developments
    • We must stay versatile and agile
      • The English as official language could be one of most important policies to make Taiwan important international player.
      • Political polarization and bureaucracy may slow Taiwan's competitiveness growth, CGOTS is an example we must cope with strong headwinds at times and keep anchor steadfast.
    • We must stay open
      • COVID is a game changer.  We can only learn from the best and learn from the worst. 

Reflections

Data Analytics Colloquium

  • Collaborated with National Chung Hsing University, Taichung.

  • NCHU College of Law and Politics and UTD School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences

  • Convenes international scholars and data scientists in online seminars and workshops

  • Engage in conversation with speakers and replication of data methods and big data models.

  • Online webinars for two consecutive years

  • Hosted 16 webinars from top scholars in US and Europe

Data Analytics Colloquium

  • Dual Degree program with National Chung Hsing University, Taichung.

  • Social Data Analytics and Research Master's program at EPPS

  • Data Science Master's program in NCHU

  • Taiwan students pay Taiwan tuition to take courses at UTD

Exchange program in Data Science

Dallas is No. 1 in Texas for international students *

 

* Doctorate granting universities

Rank Institutions Int'l Students
1 New York University 17,050
2 Northeastern University - Boston 15,880
3 Columbia University 15,015
4 University of Southern California 14,992
5 Arizona State University - Tempe 13,015
6 University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign 12,838
7 University of California - San Diego 10,824
8 Boston University 10,646
9 Purdue University - West Lafayette 10,500
10 University of California - Los Angeles 10,273
11 University of California - Berkeley 9,184
12 University of Washington 8,777
13 University of Texas - Dallas 8,475
14 Pennsylvania State University - University Park 8,267
15 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor 8,252

Dallas is No. 1 in Texas for international students *

 

CollegeFactual has also ranked the value of the education at UT Dallas on a country by country basis. UT Dallas' best value is for students from   India,   Taiwan, and   China, with Taiwan among the largest on-campus communities (3).

Dallas is No. 1 in Texas for international students *

 

CollegeFactual has also ranked the value of the education at UT Dallas on a country by country basis. UT Dallas' best value is for students from   India,   Taiwan, and   China, with Taiwan among the largest on-campus communities (3).

Thank you!

Look forward to exchanging ideas with members of this conference!