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Home Issues Backissues Volume 31, No.1 Representative Behavior of Indigenous Legislator in Taiwan: A Content Analysis of the Floor Questions between 2002 and 2012

Representative Behavior of Indigenous Legislator in Taiwan: A Content Analysis of the Floor Questions between 2002 and 2012

Cheng-Hao Pao
2013 / 11
Volume 20, No.2

pp.103-136
10.6612/tjes.2013.20.02.103-136
Paper

Abstract

This study offers a novel empirical account of the representative behavior of the indigenous legislators in the 2002 to 2012 Legislative Yuan. Based on behavioral data, the analysis seeks first to know whether the lack of descriptive representation leads to the harm of substantive representation or not, and then second to illustrate the change and continuity of the issues which indigenous legislators pay attention to. The research findings indicates that although dedicated indigenous seats are always occupied by Amis, Atayal, and Paiwan, the interests of other indigenous peoples do not be harmed. In other words, the current electoral system does not guarantee descriptive representation of all indigenous peoples but provide a substantive representation to them. Basically, the elected indigenous legislators regard themselves as representatives of all indigenous peoples. Furthermore, although the issues concerned by indigenous legislators may be influenced by constituency and party affiliation, they are still highly related to indigenous interests. Indigenous legislators in Taiwan do response to the needs of the represented.

Keywords

indigenous people

descriptive representation

substantive representation

representative behavior