The Korean Public Administration Review (KPAR), which has published quarterly volumes since its establishment in 1967, is the official journal of the Korean Association for Public Administration(KAPA). As a scholarly journal, KPAR not only hold the highest authority in the field of public administration in South Korea, but also in social science. Since the National Research Foundation of Korea began evaluating journals, KPAR has been listed in the Korea Citation Index (KCI) journal index.
Research Trends and Issues in the Philosophy of Public Administration 행정철학의 연구경향과 쟁점
임의영 ( Lim Euy Young )
DOI:10.18333/KPAR.58.5.1 Vol.58(No.5) 1-34, 2024
Abstract
The philosophy of public administration is significant as a self-conscious academic field that justifies and provides a foundation for practices and studies in public administration. This article systematically introduces research findings from the Korean field of Public Administration, focusing on the broader context of public administrative philosophy. First, it explores the necessity and identity of public administrative philosophy and categorizes existing studies into four key areas: the ontology, epistemology, ethics, and anthropology of public administration.
Key Words
행정철학, 행정존재론, 행정윤리론, 행정인식론, 행정인간론, philosophy of public administration, ontology of public administration, epistemology of public administration, ethics of public administration, and anthropology of public administration
Public administration ethics is a field of study that primarily focuses on the question of how to ensure responsible conduct of public administrators. Despite significant knowledge accumulation in the field within the Korean context, there is little to no study that provides a comprehensive overview of research progress in the field. The purpose of this study is to provide a critical overview of knowledge accumulation in the field over the past several decades. While particular attention is given to public administration ethics research conducted within the Korean context, this study situates and reviews the Korean research within a broader context of administrative ethics studies done by the international community. The paper first reviews and discusses relevant theories and empirical research in the field. Then, based on the review of existing studies, it identifies gaps in the existing literature and makes recommendations for future research.
Key Words
행정윤리, 행정윤리이론, 행정윤리연구동향, public administration ethics, administrative ethics, research trends in administrative ethics
This paper reviews the work of Korean public administration scholars on bureaucracy, focusing on the main discourses of each period. Drawing on a comparative historical approach to state bureaucracy, the paper highlights the discourse on the relationship between governing power and bureaucracy, and the competence and legitimacy of bureaucracy as a governing institution. The Korean bureaucracy left an institutional legacy in which the state bureaucracy played a central role in national governance. The era of industrialization and development was one in which bureaucracies became not only tools of ruling powers, but also ruling powers themselves. When democratization began and local autonomy was revived, bureaucracy became the subject of democratic control, but the development of administrative democracy was also pursued while providing opportunities for citizen participation. During the period when neoliberal and market-style NPM movements were popular, bureaucracy was seen as an obstacle to governing power, but on the other hand, bureaucratic values such as impartiality and legitimacy were rediscovered. A review of the bureaucratic literature conducted in Korean administrative academia shows that although the number of researchers was not large, the concentration of their study was high.
Key Words
비교역사적 접근, 정치와 행정, 국가관료제, comparative historical approach, politics and administration, state bureaucracy
Despite a significant amount of research in public administration, governance, which emerged to address the limitations of traditional administrative theories, has faced ongoing criticism regarding its theoretical adequacy. This study critically examines the definitions and research trends of governance within Korean academic journals in the field of public administration and outlines issues related to governance as a theory. The analysis was conducted using two criteria: the level of analysis and the content of the analysis, based on papers published in eight major public administration journals. The findings suggest that governance research in Korean public administration exhibits varying patterns over different periods at the level of analysis and shows a trend toward a broader range of topics and diverse forms of prescriptions. However, there seems to be a lack of consensus among scholars on the concept of governance. Additionally, the methods to assess governance as an alternative to government operation are yet to be systematized. Recently, a decline in interest in governance within Korean public administration academia has been observed. Future research should focus on clarifying its concepts and theoretical frameworks, developing standards to evaluate its effectiveness in government operations, and creating models related to participation and networks.
Key Words
거버넌스, 연구경향, 행정이론, governance, research trends, theories
The career civil service system, first introduced in the Constitution of the Second Republic, has been the foundation of Korea's public service system, but recently, factors threatening this system have been on the rise. Accordingly, our study analyzed the career civil service system from two perspectives. First, we examined the system historically, looking at the development of the career civil service system in the West, particularly in Germany, as well as the introduction and changes to the system in Korea. Second, based on public servant personnel statistics and perception surveys, we examined the current status of key components of the career civil service system, such as the tenure of public servants, political neutrality, job stability, and meritocracy (performance-based system). The results indicate that Korea’s career civil service system was introduced externally, without sufficient historical experience or context. Furthermore, factors such as a high rate of voluntary resignations, a low retirement rate, the turnover of young, less-experienced public servants, and increasing perceptions of unfairness in compensation were threatening the system. As such, Korea’s career civil service system has not formed organically and is facing several challenges. Despite this, the career civil service system remains an essential personnel system for ensuring the stability and continuity of government operations. Thus, it is necessary to operate the system in a way that reflects the changing values and attitudes of public servants.
Key Words
실적주의, 정치적 중립, 직업공무원제, career civil service system, meritocracy, political neutrality
Organizations interact with their environments, obtaining resources such as human capital, materials, technology, and information while providing products and services in return. Within the constraints of laws, regulations, norms, and values set by the environment, they also imitate each other's structures, strategies, and behaviors, while engaging in competition and learning. Open system theory offers an expanded perspective on the impact of these interactions, moving beyond just the internal dynamics of organizations. Within open system theories, organizational institutionalism and organizational learning theory are particularly useful in providing a multidimensional view of how environmental factors shape organizational behavior. Organizational institutionalism offers insights into how organizations strive to gain legitimacy by resembling the ideal forms and behaviors proposed by societal institutions. On the other hand, organizational learning theory describes how organizations make decisions and undergo learning processes to adapt to their environment, thereby improving their performance and environmental fitness. This review illustrates the applicability of open system theory, detailing the concepts of organizational institutionalism and organizational learning theory, and suggests future research directions. By doing so, it aims to enhance researchers' understanding of these theories and provide new insights.
Key Words
개방 체계, 제도주의 조직론, 조직학습이론, open systems, organizational institutionalism, organizational learning theory
A Literature Review of Organizational Behavior in the Public Sector: Insights from Public Service and Sector Motivation Research 공공조직에서의 조직행태연구에 대한 고찰: 공공봉사동기와 공공부문동기 연구를 중심으로
This study aims to systematically understand the impact of motivational factors on organizational behavior and performance in public organizations. To this end, it reviews key studies on Public Service Motivation (PSM) and Public Sector Motivation (PSMot), comparing and analyzing findings from Korean and international contexts. The literature review reveals that PSM is a critical factor positively influencing voluntary behaviors and performance among employees, and the relationships among organizational behavior variables in public organizations are characterized more by universality than sector-specificity. Additionally, the unique impacts of cultural and institutional factors in Korea on these relationships are suggested. These findings provide practical implications for developing motivational strategies to enhance public organizational performance and offer insights for future research directions.
Key Words
공공조직, 조직행태, 공공봉사동기, 공공부문동기, 직무성과, 문헌고찰, public organizations, organizational behavior, public service motivation, public sector motivation, job performance, literature review
It is argued that public budgeting and finance in South Korea, as a subfield of public administration, has been progressing toward becoming a mature academic field. This study tries to track the development of the knowledge base of public budgeting and finance in S. Korea. Based on that, this article then attempts to determine whether this argument is a valid assessment of the progress of public budgeting and finance in S. Korea. This study applies a quantitative contents analysis method to research articles published in academic journals of the public administration field in both the U.S. and S. Korea. The author selects research articles studying public budgeting and finance in prestigious academic journals in the U.S. and S. Korea, systematically classifies them in accordance with previously developed theoretical frameworks, and compares and contrasts research trends in the two countries. The results show that on one hand, research activities in S. Korea have diversified and expanded the academic domain rapidly, and that the proportion of explanatory research methods focusing on causality has increased. On the other hand, research activities regarding theory growth have been limited and not active. Based on this assessment, the author proposes several agendas to the research community in S. Korea to promote the growth of the field of public budgeting and finance.
Key Words
재무행정학, 연구경향, 내용분석, 연구공동체, 분과학문, Body of Knowledge, Public Budgeting and Finance, Quantitative Contents Analysis
This study examines the nature of regulation and the direction of its research. The nature of public administration lies in regulation, and it is argued that systematically delving into this regulatory dynamics is the core of theoretical and policy understanding of public administration. To this end, it explains human reciprocity, the meaning of rules, and the coercive nature of government rules as the basis for understanding regulation, and discusses an in-depth critique of market failures understood as the basis of regulation. Afterwards, it focuses on the nature of regulation as a game rule created by the government and explains its core dynamics. In the process, it will be found that the framework of the game is very useful for understanding regulatory phenomena. In addition, this study proposes empirical research on regulatory phenomena, research on regulatory concepts and types, and in-depth regulatory impact analysis as the direction of regulatory research. In relation to the Korean context, interest in culture is necessary, and in particular, it is necessary to analyze the dynamics of regulatory creation through legislative legislation.
Key Words
규제, 강제성, 인간본성, 동감, 시장실패, 규제게임, regulation, coerciveness, human nature, sympathy, market failure, regulatory game
Local administration has long served as a cornerstone of public administration, playing a pivotal role in shaping its theoretical foundation. Despite its significance, it remains constrained as an independent academic discipline. This study delves into the challenges and issues surrounding the administration and performance management of local governments, including municipal reforms, within the broader context of their relationships with central governments. By analyzing relevant theories, the study aims to deepen the understanding of this critical field. The literature review underscores that, despite variations across national and historical context, the significance of local administration has been consistently acknowledged. It is widely regarded as a fundamental element of democracy, a mechanism for delivering public services, and a means of ensuring accountability. This study identifies four key themes within local administration research. First, the study emphasizes the importance of public participation in local governance, underscoring the need for robust theoretical frameworks and institutional studies to strengthen this involvement. Special attention is given to research on the philosophical foundations and historical experiences of local governance in South Korea. Second, it underscores the necessity of legal studies to enhance the legislative powers of local governments and secure their autonomous legislative authority. Comparative research with advanced nations is proposed as a strategy to guide the development of legislative autonomy. Third, the study advocates for research assessing the impact of decentralization on residents' quality of life. Such efforts aim to clarify the practical objectives of local administration and evaluate the effectiveness of decentralization initiatives. Finally, the study highlights the growing relevance of governance research in addressing emerging challenges such as climate change, advancements in artificial intelligence, and the lowest-low fertility. These complex issues demand a broader, more comprehensive approach that transcends traditional research boundaries. This necessitates innovative theoretical and policy-oriented studies to respond effectively to these pressing challenges.
Key Words
지방행정, 분권, 지방자치, 시정개혁, 정부간 관계, local administration, decentralization, local autonomy, municipal reform, governance, Intergovernmental relations
