因新公共管理與管理主義思潮，公立文化機構治理機制產生轉變，公辦民營成為公立博物館治理機制轉變最頻繁的嘗試。本研究整理 10個重要的博物館公辦民營案例，並結合公辦民營應用的理論依據：公共選擇理論、交易成本理論、委託人代理人理論等制度經濟學理論的觀點，探討博物館是否適合公辦民營。經由分析，本文認為基於博物館的非營利性質，教育與學習的建置目的，完整的蒐藏、研究、保存維護、展示等功能，以及博物館具有的高度資產特定性，作為公共服務的博物館並不適宜民營。不過，若將蒐藏、研究、展示、教育等核心功能保留由公部門自營，僅將營運與娛樂功能委託民營，博物館公辦民營不失為可行之道。且博物館採取公辦民營時，應仔細評估各項交易成本，慎選廠商，周詳規範契約，以收民營之利，避民營之弊。

With the development of new public management and manageralism, the governance mechanism of Taiwanese public cultural institution has gradually changed. Contracting out (outsourcing) has been adopted by many public museums in Taiwan. However, is the public museum appropriate for contracting out? In this paper, ten cases were chosen and discussed in terms of theories of institutional economics which included public choice theory, principal-agent theory and transaction cost theory. The author argues that it is not appropriate for public museums to contract out because a museum is a non-profit and highly asset specific institution for the purposes of education and study with tasks of acquisition, research, exhibition, etc. Nevertheless, contracting functions of enjoyment out is feasible, remaining those of acquisition, research, exhibition, and education in the public sector. It is important to carefully evaluate transaction costs, choose a private operator, and make a contract when the decision of contracting out is made.