Taiwanese university students tackle policy challenges in national competition

National Taipei University's "Fei Yuan Cup" Public Affairs Case Competition brought together 319 students from 41 universities to tackle pressing policy challenges. The event, which saw 78 teams compete, focused on six critical issues: encouraging young people to pursue public service, increasing farmers' willingness to adopt agricultural insurance, revitalizing idle Taiwan Railways station spaces, reshaping the public image of garbage trucks, reducing young people's reliance on social media, and transforming the flow of people in Taipei's Xinyi business district into participation in Walled Village culture.

The competition, held in a spirit of "government sets the questions, youth provides the answers," presented real-world problems faced by government agencies. Participants were not engaging in mock exercises but genuinely attempting to solve public sector issues. Li Zhong-bin, department chair of Public Administration and Policy at National Taipei University, emphasized the enduring importance of human judgment in public affairs, especially in the age of AI, stating that AI cannot make value judgments, which are the most difficult aspect of public administration.

After intense competition, the "Nong Lai Bao" team from National Taipei University secured first place with their agricultural insurance promotion plan. Their strategy highlighted the importance of training local agricultural association leaders, who are highly trusted by farmers, and introduced a LINE game designed to help farmers estimate investment returns and boost their confidence in purchasing insurance. This innovative approach earned unanimous praise from the judges.

The silver medal went to National Taipei University's "Pi Li Huo Che Du Du" team for their outstanding solutions regarding the revitalization of idle Taiwan Railways station spaces. The bronze medal was awarded to Tainan University's "Ji Shi Xing La, Le Zai Qi Zhong" team, recognized for their solid practical analysis skills. The "San Feng Dian Huo" team from Soochow University received a special jury award for their distinctive innovative thinking, while the "'Zhan' Fang Xin Sheng Ming" team from Nanhua University won the most popular award for their highly creative entry video.

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In the age of AI, we need people more than ever to solve public problems, because AI cannot make value judgments for us, and value judgment is the most difficult part of public affairs. This reflects the value of the public affairs case competition.