一九四Ｏ至五Ｏ年代臺灣的地方自治：縣市區劃與選舉制的形成

本論文探索的問題，聚焦於戰後臺灣地方管理的制度如何從延續殖民時期「官制自治」轉變為「住民自治」？在此制度變遷下，政府、地方與民眾間以「實施地方自治」為名，透過符合臺灣治理狀態的政策規畫國土行政區域、建構中央政府與地方自治團體之間的協力關係、垂直分權，並在戶籍登記制度的基礎上實施公民普選。本文聚焦並梳理臺灣在戰後政權轉移之際，本地地方在既有日治殖民政府建立的地方行政政制中，轉換為符合中華民國地方治理制度設計的歷史脈絡。此間，國家治理的需要與本地爭取個人及地方權益之間，在實施地方自治的目標中，相互拉扯、互動，逐步於1950年形成了一套具有保障基本公民政治權利及實質地方分權意義的現代國家地方行政制度。該制具體呈現於1950年4月由臺灣省政府公布實施之〈臺灣省各縣市實施地方自治綱要〉。該制度在戰後臺灣的歷史軌跡中，地方人士與民代以維護本體利益及安全性的需求，發揮個體能動性透過省參議會及少數公共發聲管道向省府表達意見的過程，正是爭取「區劃」與「選舉」同時施行的最主要動力。而國共內戰及後續西太平洋地緣政治情勢轉變的國際政局因素，則是推動並形塑蔣介石政權在臺灣快速實施國家實施地方政制結構及黨政改革的大環境因素。在利益相繫結構下的互動過程下，省府推行縣市層級以下的「區劃」與「選舉」同時實施，正是1950年臺灣地方自治制度的主要特徵，亦是有別於以往過去本地日本殖民時代以及中華民國政府在中國執政時期的新地方制度。

關鍵字

戰後臺灣；地方自治；縣市區劃；選舉制

並列摘要

This thesis explores the history of the “Research Committee of the Local Self-governments in Taiwan (臺灣地方自治研究會),”which was chaired by Chen Cheng (陳誠), the powerful governor of Taiwan from July 1949. The committee drafted the “Guideline on Implementing Local Self-governments for Counties and Cities in Taiwan Province (臺灣省各縣市施行地方自治綱要)” in April 1951, which was essentially an provincial executive order. Constitutionally, it required the authorization from the Legislative Yuan, the national law-making body. After the Chinese Nationalist Party lost the civil war to the Chinese Communist Party and fled to Taiwan in 1949, it launched a series of significant reforms, one of which was the 1951 election of local mayors and councilors with universal suffrage under the aegis of the “Local Self-Government.” The reform laid the foundation of Taiwan’s local electoral system, through which Taiwanese people could participate in local politics although the authoritarian Nationalist party-state did not permit much political freedom. Furthermore, due to the elections the Nationalist strengthened its legitimacy to rule the island it seriously misgoverned between 1945 and 1949. This thesis focuses on and sorts out the historical context of the transformation of the local government in the local administrative system established by the existing Japanese colonial government to conform to the design of the local governance system of the Republic of China at the time of the transfer of power in Taiwan after WWII.