本文探討社區發展工作長久以來爭議不休的問題：到底政府與社區之間的關係為何？在社區工作的理念共識是社區需要自助(self-help)、自決(self-determination)、自主自立(self-reliance)； 但在實際的情況上，政府往往執行許多社區發展計畫，引導社區的發展方向。遂產生批評社區因要得到政府的經費補助造成對政府的依賴而欠缺自主性；政府亦被視為過度介入社區事務而有干預之嫌，造成理念與實務上的矛盾。本文認為社區工作典範上的差異，往往是各說各話的主因，並提出聯合國社區發展(community development)與基進社區工作(radical community work)兩種工作取向加以比較，以釐清彼此之間的差異。為了理解政府與社區的互動關係，本文歸納社區工作相關的觀點，提出垂直、對立與線性三種關係，並認為台灣的社區工作已經逐漸突破傳統「由上而下」或「由下而上」的思維，而依據社區能力與需求在「自我治理」與「行政導向」之間取得平衡。

This article discusses a long-standing controversial issue in Taiwanese community development: What is the relationship between the government and the community? The consensus of the community work principle is that a community needs self-help, self-determination, and self-reliance; however, in reality, the government often implements many community development plans to guide the community's work. This led to the criticism that communities lacked autonomy because of their dependence on the government's funding subsidies; the government's intervention in community affairs, re-sulted in contradictions between principle and practice. The differences in community work paradigms are often the main reason for each saying what they say. A comparison between the community development approach and radical community work approach to clarify the differences between the two, is proposed. To understand the interactive relationship of the government and the community, this article summarizes the views related to community work and proposes three relationships: vertical, oppositional, and linear, believing that Taiwan's community work has to gradually break through the traditional "top-down" or "bottom-up" thinking, and strike a balance between "self-governed" and "administration-oriented" based on community capabilities and needs.