民主化與地方的行動效能－從台灣兩波(1993~2001)地方菁英的認知判斷探析

本文試圖檢證民主與效能之間的關係。依據對台灣地方菁英分別在一九九三及二○○一年所做的訪問調查資料，本文以「地方菁英對地方處理嚴重問題的效能判斷」來界定「效能」。經過相關文獻分析，本文試著將影響效能的因素分成兩大類：一類為「民主化相關因素」；另一類為「非民主化因素」。實證資料檢證發現：台灣地方菁英確實在二○○一年比一九九三年對地方行動效能有較高的評價。透過個別因素的探討，二○○一年地方菁英對地方行動效能的較高評價大體和「非民主化因素」無關，而在「民主化相關因素」中，則有地方菁英的「職位」及「自我影響力評估」兩項和他們的效能判斷有顯著關係。這些發現整體而言傾向肯定：民主對效能的促進應有一定的助益。

關鍵字

民主化；效能；地方菁英；台灣；民主

並列摘要

This paper examines the relationship between democracy and effectiveness. This survey of the local elite in Taiwan in two separate periods, 1993 and 2001, defines the term ”effectiveness” as the local elites' evaluation of local effectiveness in dealing with serious problems facing the locality. After reviewing related theories and hypotheses and identifying various factors that might affect effectiveness, the paper divides these variables into two categories: factors both directly and indirectly related to democratization. Empirical testing finds that the local elite in Taiwan actually held a more positive evaluation of local effectiveness in the second wave than they did in the first. Through cross-analyses of each factor, increases in the local elites' positive evaluation of local effectiveness are found to be unrelated to factors of the first category. Among factors of the second category, only the variables of local elite position and self-evaluation of their influence are strongly related to local elites' evaluation of local effectiveness. This finding supports the hypothesis of this study: democracy and effectiveness are positively related.