本文藉由市民社會菁英的「當事人」觀點，探索台灣政治轉 型中社會與國家的互動關係。解嚴前，由於社會環境和黨國機器 之監控，使市民社會難以發展。隨後因80年代國內外環境驟變， 使市民社會無論從自主性、影響力和公共性等指標分析，皆展現 其在「國家－社會」互動場域中已日漸發揮影響力。 在台灣民主轉型過程中，市民社會無論在公共議題倡導、公 部門監督、行政人才儲備等職能上，都呈現出對民主化的貢獻。 然而，市民社會在2000年政黨輪替後卻僅侷限在特定法令政策內 發聲，對於整體社會的影響力，反不如國民黨執政時期而呈現出 弱化的情況。它們在當前監督政府施政與促進民主鞏固的預期功 能上，仍有待努力。

Prior to the lifting of Martial Law in 1987, the Kuomintang regime limited the potential for growth of Taiwan's civil society with land reform, patron-client relationship, and national corporatism. Because of the changing of domestic and international environmental factors, the authority has lost gradually its dominance in many dimensions, which lead to the beginning of democratic transition in Taiwan. According to the analytic criteria of autonomy, influence, and public ness which are brought into the interviews with elites in civil society the developments of Taiwan's civil society became more and more active from the mid-80s. In the period of transition form authoritarianism, the masses from “tamed-people＂ have turned into “participative citizens＂ since been enlighten by active social movements. On the other hand, the civil society has provided an important contribution to Taiwan's democratization with respect to issue promotion, checks and balances on public authority, and executive cultivation, accompanying the emergence of civil society in quality and quantity. At present, Taiwan is at a critical juncture for democratic consolidation. The influence of Taiwan's civil society is limited in a few issues only, but get less impact on overall-society level after the 2000 presidential election. In short, Taiwan's civil society has made concrete contribution in social welfare and social freedom; nonetheless, it has yet played a significant role in the deepening and consolidation of democracy.