本文討論1950年以來的臺灣經濟發展，分別從經濟成長、經濟公平、經濟穩定與經濟結構轉變等層面，論述戰後臺灣經濟的發展與演變。最後提出臺灣經濟發展的獨特促進因素，以及阻礙進步的重要變數。檢討這50多年的臺灣經濟，我們的成長率名列世界前茅，在分配上也還算是比較均平，而幾次的波動，影響是有但並未中斷成長。在經濟結構方面，1960年代中期，臺灣完成農業到工業社會的轉型，1980年代後期則完成工業進入服務業社會的轉型。與其他國家比較，支持臺灣經濟發展的獨特因素有二：一是日本統治時期建立的資本主義經濟基礎；二是國民政府以對外貿易為發展導向。阻礙臺灣發展的也有兩個變數：過去是國民政府的黨國資本主義，未來則是與中國的經貿關係。未來如果能進一步對國際社會開放臺灣的服務業，將有助於臺灣眞正進入已開發國家之列。

This paper discusses the economic development in Taiwan during the post-war period. We examine the economic growth, equity, stability of Taiwan and her structural changes since 1950. Then we analyze the factors that determines the growth or the recess of Taiwan's economics. Our review of various aspects of the post-war economic development in the Island leads to the same conclusion known by experts, namely the growth rates used to be one of the highest in the world, the income was equally distributed, and economic fluctuations did not interrupt economic growth in a long time. We also observe that Taiwan's economy is transformed from agriculture to industry in the 1960s, and to the service industry in the late-1980s. compared to other countries in the same region, one finds two factors favoring Taiwan's economic development: the first one is the infrastructure of capitalism built by Japanese colonial government, while the other one is the open economy strategy adopted by the Nationalist government. There are also two factors endangering economic development: the first is the introduction of the so-called KMT-State capitalism before 2000, while the second one is a too closed economic relationships with Mainland China. To speed up economic development internationalizing Taiwan's service industry is perhaps the only way Taiwan has to adopt in order to become a member of the developed countries.