The Department was established in 2001. Its founding mission is “to cultivate leadership and staff talent needed for teaching and research in political economy, and for government and private-sector work.”

In view of the long-term impact of global political and economic conditions on Taiwan’s national and social development, the College of Social Sciences at National Sun Yat-sen University established the Department of Political Economy in 2001. In light of domestic and international circumstances, we have witnessed the powerful impact of universal trends—including democratization, globalization, and sustainable development—on Taiwan’s political and economic organizations and institutions. We therefore need to “open a global perspective through political-economic thinking and establish a sustainable framework for Taiwan’s development.” In the competitive environment of the new century, students of the new generation must possess extensive knowledge of politics and economics, understand their mutual influence, and have the ability to manage political-economic affairs and guide the sound development of organizations and institutions. Only then can they meet the challenges of the new era and create broad prospects for their own careers and for Taiwan’s social development.

National Sun Yat-sen University was the first in Taiwan to establish a Department of Political Economy, cultivating outstanding talent familiar with political-economic principles and global developments, with a broad global perspective and sound democratic character.