工作福利與社會救助之研究

Abstract

我國《社會救助法》第一條規定：「為照顧低收入戶、中低收入戶及救助遭受急難或災害者，並協助其自立，特制定本法。」我國社會救助制度之最終目的在於協助貧窮者自立，為了達成此目標，除了暫時性的滿足貧窮者的最低生存需求，如何使受救助者回歸勞動市場、取得收入並重新自立，才是整體制度最關鍵的部分。 美國聯邦政府在二十世紀進行了一連串的福利改革，政府對於「貧窮治理」的態度幾經轉變，最後在財政支出與弱勢保護兩端利益的考量下，於二十世紀末逐步發展出「以工作換取福利」之工作福利制度。工作福利理論在二十世紀末席捲同樣面臨龐大福利支出困境之眾多西方國家，我國社福學者亦於此時將之引入台灣。據此，本文以「工作福利」為主軸，仔細梳理美國與我國之社會救助制度並相互參照，本文認為我國之社會救助制度帶有工作福利之特性，除了在「工作參與」之制度設計上承襲美國社福制度之邏輯，也在我國既有之文化脈絡下發展出具有在地特色之樣貌。 最後，本文將回到我國憲法與法律之角度探討工作福利制度本身之適合性。本文認為工作福利理論之「工作義務」要件在理論層面與我國憲法原則相輔相成，藉由工作義務之設計將促使受救助者自立，反而更能達成憲法保障人民人性尊嚴之目標。然而在具體規範層次，我國社會救助法仍有許多待檢討之處。參照美國之社會福利制度、我國之社會救助法與行政實務之運作現實，本文認為於立法論應刪除社會救助法第五之一條第一項第一款第二目之「擬制基本工資」規定為妥，並且應將第十五條「拒絕參與工作者不予扶助」之要件進一步細緻化，使行政實務工作者更有著力點落實系爭規定，以達成工作福利之制度目標。

The ultimate goal of Social Assistance Act in our country is to help poor people help themselves. For this purpose, how to help poor people go back to the labor market, earn money and live on their own is of critical importance to the system of social assistance. The Federal Government of the United States embarked on a series of welfare reforms in the twentieth century. In the meantime, the government’s attitude toward “How to deal with poverty” had changed many times. In order to protect the poor and solve financial deficit, the academic community developed the concept of workfare at the end of twentieth century. According to this concept, the poor has to participate in work activities in exchange for public assistance. The concept of workfare had influence on many Western countries faced with financial crisis, and Taiwanese researchers introduced the concept to Taiwan at that time. Built around the concept of workfare, this study attempts to introduce the development of the welfare policy in the United States and make a comparison between the welfare policies implemented in the United States and in Taiwan. The study finds that the social assistance policy in Taiwan is based on the principles of workfare developed in the United States. However, Taiwan’s policy not only follows the U.S. logic of work participation, but also develops its own features in its own cultural context. Finally, this study will discuss whether the element of “work obligation,” which originated from the concept of workfare, violates the principles of the Constitution of our country. This study reveals that “work obligation” doesn’t violate the principles of the Constitution. On the contrary, it can improve human dignity, which is one principle of the Constitution, by helping poor people help themselves. However, there are still many problems in the legal system. Judging from the welfare policy in the United States, Social Assistance Act and the administrative practice in Taiwan, the study argues that we should repeal Social Assistance Act 5-1.1(1)(2) and add more legal elements to Social Assistance Act 15 in terms of legislation. By doing so, workers in administrative practice are more likely to attain the goal of the workfare concept.