本文分為兩大部分,第一部分是對民主化與威權轉型的文獻回顧,本文認為既有文獻的解釋模式均存在盲點,忽略了應從兩岸的政權屬性此一更高的視野進行探討。本文的第二部分便嘗試提出新的解釋方式,亦即從幹部輸送的成敗,來回答兩岸政治制度的民主化與否。本文認為,由於中國大陸共青團的組織力量健全,成功為中共政權培植一群「黨性」堅定的後備幹部,在領導體系的穩定下,有利於維繫一黨專政的體制。台灣救國團在1960年代後的職能迅速瓦解,當國民黨開始甄補黨外菁英的同時,也鬆動了領導體制的穩固。團系的興衰,開啟了兩岸民主化與否的「機會之窗」。 The purpose of this study is to provide a theoretical framework to answer why Taiwan has been moving toward democratization while China is not. The first part is a literature review of Taiwan’s democratic transition. We find these theories capture specific aspects of Taiwan’s democratization while they often fail to take the most important vision: the nature of political regime. The second part presents a theory about the role of elite transmission of the Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL) in the Chinese political system after 1978 and China Youth Corps (CYC) in the Kuomintang of China.We found CCYL has succeed in both providing talented cadres to the party state and in recruiting youth of different backgrounds and specialties to serve in the CCYL. CCYL, as a talent pool, has facilitated renewal and consolidation of the CCP. In contrast, The influence of CYC has waned since the 1960s. Meanwhile, Non governing elites was recruited in Kuomintang and challenged the KMT’s leadship regime. In other words, CCYL as the most important element of the eilte-transmission, accounts for the fortunes of the party state.