Semi-Presidentialism and Divided Government in Taiwan: Public Perceptions of Government Performance

Abstract

Assessing differences in government performance based on governmental structure (parliamentary, presidential. and semi-presidential regimes) and partisan control of government (divided and unified government) is an issue that is still unfolding, having received comparatively little attention outside some Western countries. Using survey data from the 2008 legislative elections in Taiwan, this study sheds light on the issue by examining the public perceptions of government performance, comparing the various consequences of government institutions. The findings indicate that four key factors can be used to evaluate the performance of institutional arrangements: presidential performance, parliamentary performance, preference for party control, and cognition of premier appointment. For the example of Taiwan, the results further reveal that the variables of party identification, ethnic consciousness, unification/independence preference, and political knowledge exert important influences on one`s evaluation of government performance.