Abstract

As the primary administrative unit in Korea, Dong has been considered to be the most suitable level for community autonomy and grassroots governance. The major Dong-level community autonomy programs by the Seoul Metropolitan Government(SMG) are Resident Self- Governing Committees(RSGC), Community Planning, Participatory Budget Committees(PBC), and Preparatory Urban Regeneration(PUR).

 

According to the comparative and empirical analysis, they are very similar in composition, function, and process of the community organization, but also greatly overlap in their participants and agendas. However, due to the lack of inter-departmental cooperation, they are implemented separately and there is little positive synergy among them.

 

Based on the case study on the Community Autonomy board of the central and municipal governments, this research proposes an ideal model and strategies for the Seoul Community Autonomy Board(SCAB) as an institutional design to integrate the segregated programs. SCAB can ensure wider participation, more horizontal partnership with the Dong office, and more concrete resources for the community than in the basic model of the central government. The phased strategies for realizing the SCAB model are also proposed as three stages of preparation, execution, and follow-up.

 

Contents

01 Introduction

1_Background and Purpose

2_Scope and Methods

 

02 Dong-level Community Autonomy Programs in Seoul

1_Overview of the Programs

2_Comparative Analysis of the Programs

3_Status and Prospect of the Program Overlapping

 

03 Characteristics and Issues of Overlapping Programs

1_Overlap of Participants between the Programs

2_Overlap of Agendas between the Programs

3_Focus-group Interview

 

04 Case Study of the Community Autonomy Boards

1_Pilot Project by the Central Government

2_Gwangju Community Autonomy Board

3_Siheung Community Autonomy Board

 

05 The Model and Strategies of the Seoul Community Autonomy Board

1_Model of the Seoul Community Autonomy Board

2_Strategies to Establish the Seoul Community Autonomy Board