In the name of Mazu: the use of religion by China to intervene in Taiwanese elections

Foreign policy objectives can be achieved through religious institutions as a form of soft power. However, empirical evidence on this form of soft power is limited. In this study, we provide rigorous empirical evidence of electoral influence through the channel of religious institutions. To test the...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Sher, Chien-Yuan (Author) ; Pien, Chung-Pei (Author) ; O'Reilly, Colin (Author) ; Liu, Yu-hsiu 1954- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2024
In: Foreign policy analysis
Year: 2024, Volume: 20, Issue: 3
Further subjects:B Vote
B Political influencing
B China
B Intervention International law
B Taiwan
B Religion
B Influence
B Election
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:Foreign policy objectives can be achieved through religious institutions as a form of soft power. However, empirical evidence on this form of soft power is limited. In this study, we provide rigorous empirical evidence of electoral influence through the channel of religious institutions. To test the efficacy of this channel of influence, we study the Chinese government’s attempts to influence Taiwanese elections through religious institutions. By leveraging spatial regression methods, we demonstrate that Mazu temples influence electoral behavior through a localized process. The density of urban Mazu temples in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, which are subject to influence from China, is associated with an increase in vote share for the pro-China party in their neighborhoods. However, the influence on voters in urban and village areas is not homogeneous. In contrast to urban temples, the relationship between village Mazu temples and the electoral results is insignificant.
Item Description:Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 20-23
Physical Description:1 Online-Ressource, Tabellen, Diagramme, Illustrationen
ISSN:1743-8594
Contains:Enthalten in: Foreign policy analysis
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1093/fpa/orae009