《台灣社會學》

幾乎所有現有的地方派系研究都接受一個基本事實：地方派系的權力結構呈金字塔型。本文透過對屏東縣地方派系的幾次選舉觀察和深度訪談指出，地方派系幾乎已經瓦解殆盡。不僅縣級派系早就名存實亡，更重要的是在現今連鄉鎮級地方派系幾乎都已經瓦解，在屏東縣二十五個平地鄉鎮中只剩下林邊鄉還維持派系政治的運作。本文同時指出此一現象對於學術研究和政治現實上的重要性。此現象凸顯出過去對於地方派系的研究成果將不再適用於現今的地方政治現況，同時此現象也增加國民黨在選舉動員上的困難。

Almost all studies of local factions accept the idea of local faction power structures resembling pyramids. In this paper the author analyzes factions in Taiwan’s Ping-Tung County. Using data collected through participant observations of electoral mobilization and interviews, the auth-or fo-cuses on the disappearance of two county-level factions and the col-lapse of the large majority of township-level factions. Of 25 non-aborig-inal townships in Ping-Tung, only Lin-Pien still operates according to fac-tional politics. It appears that up-to-date studies of local factions are not being properly applied to the current situation in Ping-Tung. Politically, to do so would pose greater electoral mobilization challenges for the Kuomingtang.