本文意欲探討的是，經濟自由化與政治民主化分別對臺灣的勞工政策制定與勞工權益變遷產生何種影響。在經濟全球化對勞工的可能影響上，「新自由主義」學派（neo-liberalism school）主張全球化現象將有助於提升第三世界國家勞工權益，並促使其政府向以開發國家看齊，進而制訂有利於勞工之政策。相對而言，「批判理論」學派（critical theory school）則主張經濟全球化將造成國際資本流動更加快速，企業追逐比較利益的行為更加容易，從而對勞工產生傷害。一般而言，實證研究結果大多支持批判理論的觀點，認為經濟全球化過程會傷害勞工權益，勞工政策的制訂會逐漸傾向滿足企業主以及外資企業的利益，從而喪失保護勞工的功能。在政治民主化方面，實證研究結果大多認為政治民主化對基本人權的提升－包括勞工人權－應具有一定正面的促進功能。換言之，依照現有的民主化理論來看，政治民主化的落實應會為臺灣的勞工政策制訂與勞工權益維護產生正面之催化效益。 研究結果顯示，在1950年代至1970年代，經濟自由化與政治民主化現象未全面開展之時，國民黨政府充分運用黨政力量積極組織工會，以達成控制臺灣社會的政治目的。雖然此時臺灣勞工幾乎沒有行使勞動基本權的空間，但臺灣勞工在此時開始接受勞動政策的形式保護，並經由勞工保險制度的實施提供勞工在生活上的基本保障。相對而言，1980年代之後經濟全球化與政治民主化的逐步深化，充其量僅加強國家立法機制對個別勞工政策相關法令的制訂與修正。對於勞工權益的維護以及優質勞工政策的制訂，經濟全球化與政治民主化並無顯著的持續促進之功，且時有互生挚肘之實。因此，在臺灣的個案上，批判理論的論述筆者以為應可被確立。至於民主化理論所論述之當一國政治民主化程度愈高，其勞工政策將能有效制訂並逐步落實，進而對勞工權益形成更佳保障，筆者以為應可被推翻拒絕。

This article is intended to discuss what impact economic globalization and political democratization have made on labor policy and workers' rights in Taiwan. In terms of the possible effects that economic globalization might have on the labor, neo-liberalism school believes that globalization is beneficial to countries in the Third World in improving their workers' rights because their governments will be urged to emulate the developed countries, which is conducive to making policies that are favorable to the labor. Critical theory school, on the contrary, contends that economic globalization will bring about rapid flow of international capital, which makes it much easier for the business to compete for more revenues. The consequences are undoubtedly adverse to the labor. Generally speaking, the result of many empirical studies mainly supports the viewpoint of critical theory. It indicates that the dynamics of economic globalization is harmful to the labor because the constitution of labor policies tends to cater to the interest of local and foreign business, which jeopardizes its essential function to protect workers' rights. With regard to political democratization, the result also shows that it is generally believed that political democratization has a certain level of positive effects on improving basic human right, including workers' rights. In other words, according to this theory, the actualization of political democratization should have positive and catalytic effects on constituting labor policies and protecting workers' rights in Taiwan. The research result indicates that from the 1950s to 1970s, when economic globalization and political democratization were at the initial stage, KMT government extensively and intensively mobilized its power and influence in forming unions in order to achieve its political goal. Although Taiwanese labor at that time virtually had no room for exercising their basic labor right, they have begun to receive formal protection of labor policies and enjoyed the benefits of labor insurance law. However, the positive influence did not grow with the maturity of globalization and democratization after the 1980s. It at most fortified the legislative mechanism in terms of instituting and amending labor law. Economic globalization and political democratization not only had no prominent and sustained influence on protecting workers' rights and initiating high-quality labor policies, they in reality even had backwash effect on them. Therefore, the author concludes that the hypotheses made by critical theory school are held well in Taiwan's case, but its hypothesis of democratization is refutable.