Abstract
The Taiwanese government instituted a comprehensive community development program in 1994, followed by the Rural Regeneration Act in 2011. The problem of objectively evaluating relationships between communities during the process of rural community empowerment persists. To address this problem, this study analyzed the literature and conducted a case study on the rural communities of Yunlin County by using both in-depth interviews and social network analysis. The following conclusions were drawn: 1) A total of 18 social group units were determined, comprising both internal and external social groups. 2) Based on the observed features, subjects, inherited, values, mutual aids, trust, participations, and lives, four character types appear in rural community promotions each year: mediating, operator, supportive cooperator, and innovator. 3) Common consensus improves the self-sufficiency of rural communities during development and empowerment efforts; it reduces exclusiveness, but community cooperation can be enhanced by effectively leveraging community relationships.
