本研究以美國牛肉進口事件為例，探討議題週期的演變與議題管 管理的策略。在美國牛肉擴大進口的過程中，政府曾對民眾進行政 策宣導及安撫，並提出各種管理方式，期待能使議題縮小並儘早落 幕，但因管理方式運用不當，反而造成議題擴張，人民對政府的信 任感下降，對美國牛肉更是聞之色變。因此引發筆者探究何以此議 題未能在議題形成初期即獲得解決？議題縮小或擴張的主因繫於議 題本身、行動者，及機構哪一項？是否未能實踐風險溝通、議題設 定，及資訊公開等議題管理策略才導致議題擴張？將是本文研究之 重心。 本文採量化研究途徑，從文獻分析整理出研究架構，再進行內 容分析法，從報紙新聞內容及數量的變化，尋求議題縮小或擴大的 關鍵所在。而據以分析：影響議題週期演變的因素為何？政府如何 進行議題管理？及其功效如何。 研究結果顯示：(1)美國牛肉進口議題發展初期並未受到許多關 注；(2)從2003年至今，議題週期呈現雙峰的曲線；(3)造成議題擴 張的主因是行動者因素，其中又以參與者數量為最顯著因素；(4)在 美國牛肉進口事件中，議題發生初期政府未能與人民進行妥善風險 溝通並將決策過程開誠佈公，是議題管理成效不彰的主因。 關鍵字：議題週期、議題管理、美國牛肉進口、內容分析法 This thesis uses the importation of American Beef (AB) as an example to explore issue life cycle and the strategy of issue management. In the process of expanding the AB’s importation, our government applied policy advocacy and pacification as well as other management method in order to narrow and end the issue. However, because of mismanagement, the issue was expanded in which people began to distrust government and were petrified to AB. Therefore, this thesis intends to find: why the issue cannot be resolved from the initiative stage? What’s the cause of issue expansion: the issue itself, actors, or institutions? Is failure to perform crisis communication, issue setup, and information disclosure the reason of issue expansion? These questions are going to be studied by this article. Quantitative approaches are conducted in this research. The framework is drawing from documentary analysis. By using content analysis which involves observing the substantive and numerical changes of paper news, this research aims at spotting the key elements of issue expansion and reduction. Based on such analysis, the thesis purposes to probe factors which affect the change of issue life cycle and how government conducts issue management, as well as its result. The research’s conclusions are as following: (1) the initial stage of AB policy development does not to attract much attention; (2) the data shows that there are two peaks in development process from 2003 to date; (3) the main factor that causes issue expansion is actors, in which the participants number is the most notable one; (4) in the event of AB, the critical reason of issue mismanagement lies on the failure of government to properly conduct crisis communication with people and disclose decision-making process at the initial stage of policy development.
