本文目的在檢視2003年通過「中央對直轄市及縣(市)政府申請計畫型補助款補助之處理原則」後,中央對地方政府補助款的分配是否受政治因素影響。利用2004年至2009年度期間中央對23個地方政府的補助款資料作實證分析,結果顯示一般性補助款的分配主要是受規範面因素影響,地方政府的老年人口及國民義務在學學生比例與地方政府的一般性補助款收入呈正相關;影響地方政府計畫型補助款收入的因素,除人口總數及人口密度外,在全國性選舉的年度,中央政府所編列的計畫型補助款預算規模顯著高於其他年度,顯示計畫型補助款的分配仍受政治面因素影響。
Presidential election is the selection of the national leader. The 2004 presidential election had drawn a lot of attention from mass media. The extensive coverage by the mass media turned the candidates into the most prominent factor in the 2004 presidential election campaign, thus, the voters felt obligated to take the candidates' qualifications and perk highly of Chairman Lien Chan's prospective national performance also have a high ”feeling thermometer” towards him. According to research conducted in the United States, if the voter's ”feeling thermometer” towards the candidates are different, it can ultimately determine the voters' decision. The study further evaluates if the ”feeling thermometers” influence people's voting choices. In Taiwan, although the ”feeling thermometer” has an effect on people's voting behavior, the influence is far weaker when compared to America. Therefore, the voter's ”feeling thermometer” is not the most important factor. Party preference, candidate image and incumbent evaluation are all important factors in determining voters' decisions.