The Economic and Business Case for Marriage Equality and LGBT+ Inclusion in Taiwan
Published 2019
Taiwan’s Opportunity
Inclusive, long-term economic development is a priority for politicians and policymakers around the world, and Taiwan is no exception. But although some countries are successfully creating prosperity for their citizens, others are struggling to make progress.
Taiwan has one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world, though it has encountered economic problems in recent years. GDP growth has been sluggish recently. After a financial shock in 2015, the economy has recovered slightly, although GDP growth hovers under 1%. The economy faces strong challenges from a rapidly aging population, which threatens national productivity, and exposure to shifts in consumer demand in its main trading partners.
In response to these economic headwinds, Taiwan's government has begun prioritizing policies aimed at creating more high-value industries, boosting productivity, attracting foreign professionals and deepening economic cooperation and access to global markets. As this paper will show, extending marriage to same-sex couples and LGBT+ inclusion can help create the environment for these priorities to be successful.
