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 Origin
With the constant struggle for more than forty years, building Taiwan as a new nation has acquired its status as a consensus among Taiwanese, people in the island. Immediately over this milestone, we need to face a even serious challenge of extreme importance: issues about nation planning and socio-economic reform.
In a simple wording, for the time being, the most important issue in need of much thought should be: exactly what kind of nation do we want, and are about, to build?
In recent years, Taiwan has enjoyed rapid growth in economic development, along with a certain achievement in political democracy. Furthermore, voices advocating social democracy, and internationalization congregate constantly into higher tides. Right at this moment of national and social transformation, we need not only a commitment of the responsibilty, but a "think tank" of professional and reserchers on national policy study. Only with the knowledge base and manpower can we have a constant, comprehensive and in depth inquiry into and analysis of various basic questions which Taiwan need to confront with and handle on her way into future development. Equipped with insights into those basic questions, we can then expect to develop Taiwan to be a country of prosperty, of stable progress, of equality and of justice.
This organization is founded on four principles:
- To plot a brand new country and pursue the realization of social democracy.
- To promote community movement and implement of democracy.
- To transform the social infrastructure and cultivate a New Taiwanese Culture.
- To build Taiwan social information systems and manpower development institute
Activity and Organization
By needs of business activities, there are three departments in the foundation: policy research department, promotion and education department, and general adminstration deparment. Within the research department, there are three research divisions: social democracy, international relationship and political economics of Taiwan, along with an information and data center. The promotion and education department has three divisions too : community development, the congress and legistation, and media.
The department of general adminstration aims to support activities of research and of promotion and education, and accordningly consists of four services units : publishing, secretary, general services and accounting.
All the affairs of the Frontier Foundations are supervised by the board of directors. Professor I-hsu Chu is the standing chair of the board. Business execution is under the adminstration of a director and two deputy directors.
For the effective and efficient management of the funds and accounting, the board nominates a committe of finance. Meanwhile, a consulting task force is formed of academic elites and respectable social elites.
Finance
Sources of finance includes donations, income of business operation, income from delegated agency, the funds and its interest etc.
The Funds
The Frontier Foundation is approved by the Education Deparpment on July 6, 1994 (Registration ID: Taipei County Education Bureau-194902 ). The registration to the Court of Justice is completed by July 23, 1994 (ID :Pang-chiao County Court 31355). The founding funds, 2 millions NT, is a collective donation from the society and the founding board. Further donation are appreciated :
( Post-office account: The Frontier Foundation 18198551 )
Regular Tasks
- Policy Research:
A new nation of equality, of justice and of charity is the vision for Taiwan to be. In order to realize the vision, we need good national planning and policy research. To do that, the Foundation will recruit young professional researchers to do research and planning on various issues of Taiwan, including : international relationship, policy of foreign affairs, economic development, reconstructing of political schemes and institutions, social democracy and culture affairs. We believe, via these researches and planning, we can then have better social engineering in the process of nation-building to pursuit welfare of all the people, and pave the firm foundations for the new nation.
- Community Movement and Grass-Root Education Program
Welfare policy and its system planning are musts of our country. But, without supplements of community movement at the grass root, the implement of welfare policy might become disempowering process of the citizen. Therefore, education for action for citizen in the community is identified as one of most important tasks of the Foundation. The agenda is to firm Classroom for Community Movement, via which to empower the citizen, and to enforce their capability in action for change . These grass-root action will be the engine for social reform and social progress in Taiwan.
- Media and Forums for the Public:
The blockade of hardware access of media in Taiwan was lifted by the people's power. However, the quality of media software has not been improved in proportion. Since most people base their political judgments on a few powerful media outlets, the performance of these institutions need to be watched. To balance that, the foundation promotes the public involvement of local media, and empowering themselves with "speakup" program. Moreover, We believes that independent, aggressive, and critical media are essential to an informed democracy. And for the promotion of Taiwanese consciousness and culture, we should always have alternative media.
- Information Systems and Modern Management:
Modern societies are societies of information and by information. To make quality decisions, to conduct research and planning successfully, supports from powerful information systems is a must. Building various information and data bases of Taiwan are thus one of key tasks of the Frontier Foundation. To prolong and expand the achievement of democracy movement, we need to raise the horizon of visions, to expand knowledge and expertise, of people participating in the movement. The Foundation will do its best to provide and educate the people in the movement with concepts and basic operational skill of modern information systems.
Short-Term Projects
- To bulid databases of basic information about Taiwan.
- To share the databases by WWW.
- To conduct research on economic poliy and social policy in the theme of social democracy, and turn the result of research into concrete and probable public policy.
to publish a series of booklets on basic concepts of social democracy.
- To collect, aggregate and analyze basic data about the international relationship between Taiwan and China.
- To research on ideas, institutions and policy about social security systems.
- To educate volunteers for community movement and grass-roots activities.
- To complete a database of community resources.
- To produce a series of radio broadcasting program on social pedagogy
How to contact the Frontier Fundation
- Address : 10F-A, No.273, Sec. 3, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei City 106, Taiwan
- Tel : 886-2-23689895
- Fax : 886-2-23641969
- Post-office account: The Frontier Foundation 18198551
- Contact us via e-mail
- People to contact: Shu-fang Tsai
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