抗戰前，各省保甲長的工作內容，多半與戶口整編有關，性質較爲單純，但抗戰期間，保甲長的職權與工作性質有了重大的轉變，本文以四川省爲例，討論此一轉變的內容。 1935年，國民政府勢力進入四川，除建立四川省政府外，爲追剿共軍，規定實施保甲制度。1937年，八年抗戰爆發，爲應戰事所需，全力動員民眾，保甲長的角色和工作也有大幅改變。其中，保甲體系中的自衛組織（壯丁隊）逐漸編入國家軍事體系，保甲長開始從事如徵兵、徵工、徵糧，及其它各項繁瑣的行政工作。這些職權的改變，使保甲長在實際上，已成爲執行中央政令的基層行政人員，而隨著權力的擴大，也使保甲長的敗德形象在民間更爲突顯。此外，抗戰結束後，隨著1946年後，國共關係的惡化及國共內戰的爆發，國民政府對民問的需求仍然殷切，因此保甲長的工作內容仍然繁重如昔。

Before the Sino-Japanese War, the duty of a Baojia chief in each province was simple and pure whose task was to integrate and manage the registered permanent residence. However, during the Sino-Japanese War, the duty and nature of a Baojia chief had changed a lot. In this study, we will take the province of Sichuan as example and discuss the content of the change. After entering the province of Sichuan in 1935, the civil government not only established the provincial government but also regulated the implementation of Baojia system in order to exterminate the communist troops. The Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937, and the civil government made many efforts to mobilize the people for the purpose of meeting the need of war. Therefore, the role and work of a Baojia chief had changed very much. The self-defense corps within the Baojia system were included in the national military system, therefore, all Baojia chiefs started working on the complicated administrative tasks, such as recruiting, gathering workers, levying grains, and so on. The change of those duties actually made Baojia chiefs had become the executives and basic administrators of the central government orders. With the extension of the power, the bad reputation of a Baojia chief became more obvious than before in the civil society. Moreover, after the war, especially after 1946, because the bad relationship between the KMT and the Communist Party and the civil war broke out, the civil government was still eager for the need from the people. Thus, the task and duty of a Baojia chief were still as complicated as before.