Wei-An Tsai

S.J.D. Candidate
HLS Graduate Program Fellow
Graduate Student Associate, Fairbank Center
wtsai at sjd.law.harvard.edu

Dissertation

Media Governance for Democracies in the Age of Disinformation and Authoritarian Influence: Taiwan as an Example

My research addresses the research question: How can Taiwan improve its media governance structures to safeguard democratic processes against disinformation and propaganda from China and elsewhere? It first analyzes the current state of China’s information operation tactics in Taiwan and their effectiveness. It then critically examines Taiwan’s past and present policies towards its information environment, identifying key limitations in responding to the challenges posed by Chinese influence. The dissertation highlights and critiques Taiwan’s overreliance on the liberalization and deregulation model for media governance since democratization, the adoption of the market-driven neoliberal mentality, and the influence of geopolitical dynamics and incentive structures for the U.S.-based social media companies. Finally, it provides forward-looking recommendations for media policy in Taiwan and argues that the boundary for permissible public speech and how information should be disseminated and structured must be grounded in a theory of democracy. A theory of democracy that values the autonomy of individuals necessarily requires safeguards to protect the integrity of the democratic system from anti-democratic behaviors. However, striking an appropriate balance between national security and the protection of free speech remains critical.

Fields of Research and Supervisors

  • Political Economy and Communications Law & Policy with Professor Yochai Benkler, Harvard Law School, Principal Faculty Supervisor
  • National Security and Countering Authoritarian Influence with Professor Jack Goldsmith, Harvard Law School
  • Comparative Legal Studies and Theories of Democracy with Professor Vicki Jackson, Harvard Law School
  • Sociology of Media & Information Technologies and Qualitative Research with Professor Ya-Wen Lei, Department of Sociology, Harvard University

Additional Research Interests

  • Comparative Constitutional Law and Freedom of Speech Theory
  • Freedom of Speech Theory
  • Internet Law and Policy
  • Election Law
  • Political Philosophy and Jurisprudence

Education

  • Harvard Law School, S.J.D. Candidate 2022 – Present
  • Harvard Law School, LL.M. Program 2021-2022 (requirements fulfilled, degree waived)
  • National Taiwan University, Graduate Institute of Interdisciplinary Legal Studies, Master of Laws, 2018
  • National Taiwan University, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, B.A., 2012

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience: Legal Advisor and Policy Lead on Countering Disinformation, Office of Minister without Portfolio Lo Ping-Cheng, Executive Yuan, Taiwan, 2018-2021
  • Languages: English, Mandarin, Taiwanese
  • Bar Admission: Taiwan

Last Updated: October 21, 2025