本文主旨,在於從歷史與結構的角度,分析戰後台灣經濟發展與政治民主化間的關係。1980年代前,台灣的經濟發展,深受威權體制下「具發展取向的國家機關」之影響,而有「穩定中成長」的表現;但是,這樣的經濟發展,卻在美國新保護主義與國內反新重商主義的壓力下,促成蔣經國的政治自由化與經濟國際化的改革措施。 然而,當政治自由化與經濟國際化無法解決立即的政經問題時,李登輝企圖以政經本土化和政經國際化,而「去內戰化」,並在政治民主化過程中,以此策略釐定和社會上各種政經勢力間的聯合與衝突關係;在1997年之前,李登輝的策略算是成功的,因而導致台灣多重的「寧靜革命」。但是,1997年之後,全球化的潮流與中共的經濟發展,卻反而強化台灣經濟的中國化,並斲傷其本土化,而且制約其國際化。
This article tries to analyze the relationships between economic development and democratization in Taiwan. Supported by an authoritarian ”developmentalist state,” Taiwan underwent a ”growth with stability” miracle in her economic development before 1980. But under the pressure of U.S. protectionism and the related domestic anti-neo-mercantilism, Chiang Ching-kuo started a series of reforms, featured by political liberalization and economic internationalization. In order to break through the constraints generated by authoritarianism and international political isolation, Lee Teng-hui furthered the reforms by a ”pragmatic diplomacy” and domestic democratization with a six-year National Development Program. Lee seemed to be successful before 1997;after that, China's marvelous economic reform has obviously threatened Taiwan's economic indigenization and internationalization.