1994年美國國會期中選舉共和黨大勝，1990年代中期起參眾兩院在共和黨主政下，國會組織結構與立法程序發生了重大變化。「條件政黨政府理論」指出，團結的多數黨將會改變國會組織結構，強化政黨領袖的權力，能在沒有少數黨的支持下完成立法；如果多數黨內部的政策目標分歧，政黨領袖的權力便會弱化。1995年共和黨國會與柯林頓總統的平衡預算衝突引發的政府關閉事件，成為條件政黨政府現象在眾議院出現與消退的區隔，先後兩階段眾議院的權力結構有重大差別。參議院也在這一波改革風潮中發生了緩慢的改變。

The Republican Party won a stunning victory in the 1994 American Congress` midterm election. The Congress` organizational structure and legislative process witnessed a major change since the mid-1990s when the Republican majority controlled both chambers. According to Conditional Party Government Theory, a unified majority party will try to alter the inner organizational structure of a legislature, to reinforce the power of the party leader, and therefore enact priority legislation without any support from the minority. When the policy goal within the majority is in itself diverse, then the power of leadership will be weakened. The balance budget battle between the Republican Congress and President Clinton in 1995 and the consequent shutdown of the federal government had become the landmark of the conditional party government phenomenon in the House; there the power structures in both stages within the House are very different. The Senate also has been affected during the wave of reformism and only slow introduced any changes.

條件政黨政府;立法改革;美國國會;共和黨

conditional party government; legislative reform; U.S. Congress; Republican Party