選舉制度改革與立委代表行為的差異：第五屆與第七屆專案書面質詢的分析

Electoral System Reform and Differences in Legislative Behavior: An Analysis of Written Parliamentary Questions in the 5th and 7th Legislative Yuan

本文針對立法委員的書面形式的專案質詢進行探索式的分析，並討論選舉制度改革是否影響立委代表行為的改變。區域立委受選制改革影響較深，其選制從複數選區不可轉移單票制變革為單一選區多數決制。本文認為在複數選區時，區域立委因為較低的當選門檻，傾向關注特定族群及選區的特殊利益。然而，在改制後的單一選區下，因為較高的當選門檻，區域立委有爭取多元選民支持的動機，進而關注普遍民眾及較廣泛地理範疇的利益。本文分析過去學界所忽略的專案質詢，將質詢內容分成利益分配取向以及地理範疇取向來看，前者包含「特殊利益」、「普遍利益」及「不涉及利益分配」；後者分成「地方性」、「跨區域性」、「全國性」、「兩岸關係」及「國際關係」等類。研究發現，區域立委相較不分區立委無論第五、第七屆前後均關注較多特殊利益，但在第七屆時增加更多普遍利益的關注。此外，區域立委相較不分區立委雖然也較關注地方性議題，但是第七屆時，他們增加在跨區域性及全國性議題的關注。本文認為這是因為區域立委在單一選區下有動機成為「全民代表」而不是純粹「選區代表」有關，因此在選制改革後，他們在專案質詢中關注較多普遍利益及廣泛地理範疇之議題。

This article presents an exploratory analysis of legislators’written parliamentary questions (WPQs) in Taiwan, examining the impact of electoral reform on representative behavior. The shift from a single non-transferable vote (SNTV) in multi-member districts (MMDs) to single-member districts (SMDs) particularly affects regional legislators. I argue that the lower electoral threshold under MMDs incentivized these legislators to prioritize particularistic interests. However, after electoral reform, under the SMDs, the need to appeal to a broader voter base has shifted their focus towards more general public interests and issues spanning wider geographic scopes. The study analyzes WPQs, which have been overlooked in previous research in Taiwan. The study categorizes WPQ content into three interest types (particularistic, general, and non-distributive) and five geographic scopes (local, cross-regional, national, cross-strait relations, and international relations). Findings reveal that regional legislators, in both the fifth and seventh terms, demonstrate a stronger inclination towards particularistic interests compared to their proportional representation (PR) counterparts. However, in the seventh term, there is a notable increase in their attention to general interests. Additionally, while these legislators predominantly focus on local issues, there is an observed expansion in their engagement with cross-regional and national matters in the seventh term. This shift suggests a transition from being predominantly“regional representatives”to“catch-all representatives”in the post-electoral reform era, reflecting a broader concern for general interests and a wider range of issues in their WPQs.