本研究旨在探討2002年臺北市與高雄市選民「垂直式分立政府」(vertically divided government)心理認知與投票行為的關係。詳言之,部分選民是否蓄意支持與中央政府為同一政黨的候選人,企圖使得中央與地方政府為同一政黨掌控;或者,若干選民刻意支持與中央政府分屬不同政黨的候選人,使中央與地方政府由不同政黨所掌握。「台灣選舉與民主化調查」實證資料顯示,選民如果認為市長應該要選出與中央政府為同一政黨的候選人,市民的福利較受保障,則傾向支持執政黨提名的參選人,反之亦然;這項研究假設無論是在臺北市或者是高雄市選區,皆得到驗證。
In this study, we focus on the relationship between the preference for vertically divided government and vote choices in the 2002 Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections. More explicitly, we examine the contending explanations: voters prefer the system of vertically unified government by same partisan control of the national and municipal government, and consequently elect mayoral candidates from the same party that controls the central government; or, voters prefer the system of checks and balances by divided partisan control of the national and municipal government, and intentionally vote for mayoral candidates from the opposition party. By using survey data from the Taiwan Election and Democratization Study, 2002 (TEDS 2002), this study shows that voters who prefer vertically unified government that better protect the welfare of citizens tend to support mayoral candidates of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, and vice versa. The research hypothesis was confirmed during the 2002 Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral elections.