政風機構自民國81年起,即廣設在中央與地方機關及公營事業等公部門,對於端正政風、促進廉能政治,應有積極作用。然而根據法務部委託台灣透明組織協會所進行的「95年度台灣地區廉政指標民意調查」顯示,95年7月間,在21項評比內,縣市政府首長及主管列第14名,鄉鎮市首長及主管列第15名,中央政府首長及主管列第18名,負責政府採購或公共工程人員列第19名,河川砂石管理業務人員列第21名,均列在清廉評比的後段,政風機構似乎未發揮應有的功能,其癥結之處可能在於:(一)機關位階不足:隸屬法務部的政風機構,難以拘束中央政府首長及主管等高層公務人員;(二)組織結構不合理:政風機構掌理關於本機關的事項,包括對於本機關員工貪瀆預防及發掘,等於直接對機關員工進行「內部監督」,其中更包括對機關首長及主管,形成「以下管上」的矛盾現象;及(三)人力資源過度分散:全國現有一千餘政風機構,容納二千餘政風人員,人力資源平均分散,使政風機構對於容易牽涉貪腐的業務,較無能力進行追查。此外,政風組織面對諸多外在壓力,包括:「聯合國反腐敗公約(UNCAC)」對於「預防性反腐敗機構(Preventive anti-corruption body)」的要求、國際間著名廉政組織,例如新加坡貪污調查局(CPIB)、香港廉政公署(ICAC)的明顯成就、國內政黨對於廉政的期待、及法務部籌設廉政局等因素,政風組織因而有變革的必要。論文建議下列改革原則時:(一)具有合理的隸屬關係;(二)政風機構應以「下管一級」的原則,對於下級機關為「外部監督」;及(三)基層政風人員分配至上層政風機構,並規劃功能性的組織和矩陣式編組,執行對於下級機關的政風業務。論文建議由總統召集行政、監察兩院,會商執行,一者減低變革阻力,另者突顯政府端正政風、促進廉能政治的決心。
Ethics offices have been established since 1992 in Taiwan. However, surveys showed that ethics offices didn't do their jobs well. The reasons that ethics offices didn't perform well include several factors. First, their hierarchical ranking, a branch of Ministry of Justice, is not high enough to monitor behaviors of higher ranking officials. Second, the inadequate organizational structure forces their employees to do the tough job of whistleblower on a daily basis. Third, the inadequate human resources of ethics offices prevent them from taking proper anti-corruption measures. Ethics offices are now also facing external pressures that call for reorganization. They include: the UN Convention calls for the establishing of preventive anti-corruption body, significant achievements of HK and Singaporean anti-corruption organizations, the public expectation of clean governance, and the proposal to set up new anti-corruption agency. This thesis proposes the following reform principles for the ethics offices: ethics offices should be placed among reasonable chain of command; ethics offices should be placed above the monitored organization, and ethics offices should belong to a highest constitutional supervising organization.