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Political Cleavage and Party Competition: An Analysis of the 2001 Legislative Yuan Election

Shing-Yuan Sheng and Yih-Yan Chen
2003 / 05
Volume 10, No.1

pp.7-40
10.6612/tjes.2003.10.01.07-40
Paper

Abstract

The major purpose of this article is to search for the political cleavages which shaping the party competition in Taiwan in the 2001 legislative Yuan election. We establish four criteria for an issue to be political cleavage. First, most people perceive the issue and are able to put themselves and the major parties on the continuum based on the issue. Second, most people perceive that major parties take different positions on the issue. If most parties take the same position on the issue, the issue cannot be a salient political cleavage. Third, most people take the position on the issue according to their social characteristics. In other words, most people consider the situations of themselves and their groups so as to take particular positions, rather than take positions randomly. Fourth, most people identify a party or vote for a party according to the positions the party takes on the issues. The research findings show that the ethnic differences, national identity and authoritarian /democratic values are the most important political cleavages, and have considerable impacts on party competition. The reformation/stability issue has some impacts, and is the second most important political cleavage. However, the social welfare issue and environmental protection/economic development issue are still not so salient in Taiwan.

Keywords

political cleavage

party competition

Taiwan independence vs.unification issue

democratic values