This study compares perceptions in China and Taiwan regarding military unification and threat. Drawing on recent national survey data in China and long-term representative surveys in Taiwan, the findings reveal a widening gap. Many in China favor the use of force and often assume strong support for unification in Taiwan, though views differ across social groups and fall into distinct orientations ranging from moderates to militant hardliners. In Taiwan, confidence in China’s development has steadily declined, more people view China as a threat, and unification support remains marginal. Preference for maintaining the status quo is dominant, while support for independence has grown. Despite consistent willingness to resist aggression, confidence in Taiwan’s defense capacity has weakened, alongside stronger expectations of U.S. support. These mutually reinforcing perceptions sustain polarization across the Strait and raise concerns for regional stability and global security.

Speaker

• Chih-Jou Jay Chen, Director of Institute of Sociology, Research Fellow, Academia Sinica

Panelists

• Victor Nee, Frank and Rosha Rhodes Professor of Economic Sociology, and Director of the Center for the Study of Economy and Society
• Peter J. Katzenstein, Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies
• Naoki Sakai, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Asian Studies

The webinar on “The Social Impact of a Changing World Society, 1950-2024,” sponsored by the Center for the Study of Economy and Society at Cornell, features John W. Meyer, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Stanford. Meyer reviews the sociological research tradition on the nature and impact of “world society” since World War II, exploring the evolution from liberalism to neoliberalism, and now towards what may be termed “post-liberalism.”

The Center for the Study of Economy and Society is pleased to sponsor John W. Meyer’s lecture on “Social Impact of a Changing World Society, 1950 to 2024” on Zoom May 2nd, 2024 beginning at 4:30 pm to 5:45 EST. John will be speaking from his home in Palo Alto to the CSES community of scholars to share his ideas and ongoing research on the emergence and evolution of a world society.

Abstract

“I review the sociological research tradition on the nature and impact of ‘world society’ in the period since WWII. Global emphases have evolved from liberal to neoliberal, and now toward what may be called “post-liberal. Impacts on widespread domestic arrangements – and thus research models and findings — have changed accordingly. Some liberal institutions have clearly weakened, though no single clear alternative world model has become dominant.”

Presenter

John W. Meyer, Professor of Sociology, Emeritus; Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences

Join us on Zoom

The Symposium on “Remaking the University and Economy in China,” sponsored by the Center for the Study of Economy and Society at Cornell, features two distinguished speakers: John E. Hopcroft and Justin Yifu Lin. Hopcroft, a theoretical computer scientist and former Dean of Cornell’s Engineering School, with 30 years of experience in China, focuses on his work in reforming higher education in China, reflecting on successes and challenges. Lin, Professor of Economics at Peking University and former Chief Economist at the World Bank, explores China’s modernization, analyzing its implications for economics and offering insights for other developing nations.

The Center for the Study of Economy and Society is hosting a Symposium on “Remaking the University and Economy in China” on Monday, April 8th at Cornell University beginning at 4:00 pm. Videos of the presentations will be shared on our YouTube channel the following week.  A list of the participants can be found below:

Introduction

• Victor Nee, Frank and Rosa Rhodes Professor of Economic Sociology, and Director of the Center for the Study of Economy and Society

Presenters

• John Edward Hopcroft, Joseph C. Ford Professor of Computer Science Emeritus and former Joseph Sibert Dean of Engineering, Cornell University, A.M. Turing Award (1986), National Academy of Sciences, a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
• Justing Yifu Lin, Professor of Economics, Peking University; Chief Economist of the World Bank, 2008-2012; China’s State Council Counsellor, 2013 to present.

The Center for the Study of Economy and Society is sponsoring a workshop on Theory, Prediction, and Confirmation on Saturday, February 10th at the ILR Conference Center in New York City and via Zoom. A reception and dinner will follow. The complete program for the workshop can be found here.

Participants

• Delia Baldassarri, New York University
• Yang Cao, University of North Carolina, Charlotte
• Karen Cook, Stanford University
• Daniel DellaPosta, Penn State University
• Paul DiMaggio, New York University
• Diego Gambetta, Collegio Carlo Alberto
• Hakan J. Holm, Lund University School of Economics and Business
• Siegwart Lindenberg, Universitiy of Tilburg
• Michael Macy, Cornell University
• Barnaby Marsh, Institute for Advanced Study
• Victor Nee, Cornell University
• Barum Park, Cornell University
• Arnout van de Rijt, European University Institute
• Sirui Wang, McKinsey Consulting and Fellow of CSES

David John Frank (UC Irvine) joins the Center for the Study of Economy and Society for an in-person talk on his latest work on Friday, May 5th between 3:00 – 4:15pm in Uris Hall G08.  Details of the talk will be shared in the coming weeks.