The Evolution of Money Politics in the Local Assembly:An Analysis of Verdicts

Volume: 

12

Number: 

2

Published date: 

十二月, 2008

Authors: 

Chin-en Wu

Abstract: 

This paper analyzes criminal cases to study money politics in a county assembly. We find that money politics is still prevalent in local assemblies. For the 14th to the 16th county assemblies, it is found that about 15% of county assembly members have been prosecuted and 8% have been convicted either during their tenure or before being elected. If we include the cases that involve district captains, the percentages of county assembly members that are prosecuted and convicted during their tenure or before being elected increase to 30% and 20%, respectively. With regard to party membership, members of the KMT and members who are not affiliated with any party have the highest percentages in terms of getting involved. The percentage of DPP members that are involved, on the other hand, is found to exhibit an increasing trend. Money politics is not necessarily less prevalent in the urban areas. In addition, for the 14th to the 16th county assemblies, the percentages of county assembly members that are prosecuted and convicted during their tenure or before being elected are found not to have diminished. On the other hand, in terms of the number of cases each year when cases occur, money politics in county assemblies exhibits a declining trend. With regard to the types of criminal cases, vote-buying is the most dominant and continues to prevail over time. By contrast, the number of other types of cases is declining. 

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