本研究將處理文獻中有關候選人選擇的兩個主要問題，分別是如何區分候選人提名方法以及解釋為何不同的候選人提名方式的演變以及被採行。簡言之，本研究詳述在1980年代後期台灣的候選人提名程序如何以及為何調整。本研究採用七點的量表分析政黨提名民主化的程度，其中，以1代表最開放的候選人提名方法，7代表直接由政黨領袖提名。台灣政黨的黨內民主自1989年以來劇烈擺盪。雖然民進黨與國民黨在立法委員提名上已經達到各自最民主的階段，不過兩個主要政黨也出現重新採用最威權的提名方式，且政黨領袖強烈抗拒將提名權下放給黨員或是支持者。 　　論者或謂主宰改變有兩個因素：黨內為各派系的權力平衡，黨外則為選舉結果。黨內派系或是政黨領袖不會因為意識型態的動機而推動更具民主的提名方式，不過，卻可能因為政黨內主要領袖與派系的各自利益或是權力，改而推動更為民主或是集權的提名方式。此外，政黨也會因為選舉結果不理想或是改善未來選舉的前景而改變提名方式。

This research attempts to tackle two of the principle questions promi-nent in the literature on candidate selection; namely how to classify candi-date selection methods and how to explain change in candidate selection methods adopted. In other words this is a detailed analysis of how and why Taiwanese candidate selection procedures have been adjusted since the late 1980s. A seven-point scale has been adopted to measure the degree of democratisation in candidate selection, in which 1 equals the most open democratic nomination system, while 7 equals a nomination method dicta-ted by the party leader. The pendulum of Taiwan’s inner party democracy has swung sharply in both directions since 1989. Although the KMT and DPP have both reached their most democratic procedures for selecting legislative candidates, there have been instances of a return to authoritarian nomination methods in all major parties, and strong resistance from party leaders to delegating greater nominating power to ordinary party members or supporters. It is argued that there have been two critical forces governing the direc-tion of change; the internal variable of factional balance of power, and the external variable of election results. Party factions and leaders have not pro-moted more inclusive nomination methods out of ideological motivations. Instead nomination methods have been democratized or centralized when the dominant leader or faction has viewed such changes as promoting their own interests and power. In addition, parties have altered nominations methods either in response to poor election results or with a view to improving future election prospects.