Dr Joseph Lee presented his project on data governance and government innovation at the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Taiwan.

Dr Joseph Lee presented his project on data governance and government innovation at the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Taiwan. 

Taiwan is ranked first for government open data according to the Global Open Data Index. The meeting was attended by members of the Department of Commerce of MOEA. 

Professor May Lee, Director-General of the Department of Commerce presented the recent corporate law reforms in Taiwan and the current thinking around data analytics and policies for government innovation.  The Director-General also discussed how open data in Taiwan has allowed the private sector to develop solutions for businesses.  

Dr Joseph Lee discussed how data analytics could enhance corporate services provided by the government and the ethical implications for the government. The attendees also explored the benefits and risks of using simulation for forming policy options for corporate services and deploying machine learning for predicting corporate failures. They exchanged views on the ethical issues of using social media to collect personal data to analyse individual and corporate behaviours. 

The UK company law reform has provided valuable experience to Taiwan’s recent corporate law reform. Taiwan’s open data experience can also provide insights for the UK into how the private sector, using data analytics, can play a role in corporate governance. Cross-border data flows can help government agencies develop policies and strategies such as in trade negotiations to predict how SMEs may be impacted by a course of action. 

Building on this meeting, Dr Joseph Lee will be working with the Ministry to co-create a research project to deliver legal and ethical foundations for data analytics for policymaking.