Basic Report

The purposes of this study are to propose the strategies to vitalize citizen participation,so we consider the role of citizen and government for vitalization of citizen participation.To achieve this, we conducted quantitative research and qualitative research, and searchedout the realistic alternatives.In this study, the term ‘citizen’ modified the comprehensive concept of ‘individual citizen’,‘civic group’, ‘civil society’. We chose ‘social welfare field’ as an object of this study,questioned citizen participants and local public servants, and did case study and in-depthinterview.In chapter two, we conducted a literature review of local governance, citizens co-production,and social capital, inquired a institutional review of general citizen participation institution,citizen participation institution of social welfare field, nonprofit organization(NPO) supportinstitution, and social economic institution, examined advanced research review, and drewthe research framework. The analytical factors of this study were ‘citizen factor’, ‘governmentfactor’, and ‘relation factor’. Leadership, citizenship, citizen capacity belong to ‘citizen factor’,financial support, administrative support, cooperative support belong to ‘government factor’,and trust, equal relation, cooperative relation, information exchange belong to ‘relation factor’.In chapter three and four, we produced some important empirical results. First, in ‘citizenfactor’, as a result of chapter three(questionnaire analysis), citizen participantsㆍlocal publicservants respondents acknowledged ‘citizen factor’ is the most important factor in thevitalization of citizen participation, so it should be emphasized that leadership, citizenship,and citizen capacity are the essential ingredients. As a result of chapter four(case studyanalysis), we found that citizen participants respondents were more positive about ‘citizenfactor’ than local public servants respondents.Second, in ‘government factor’, as a result of chapter three(questionnaire analysis), citizenparticipants respondents acknowledged that ‘government factor’ is less important factor in thevitalization of citizen participation, but local public servants respondents acknowledged that‘government factor’ is also important factor in the vitalization of citizen participation. As aresult of chapter four(case study analysis), we found that because there is considerable gapbetween institution and reality, citizen participants respondents thought ‘government factor’is less important and it requires to supplement or amend existing legislation.Third, in ‘relation factor’, as a result of chapter three(questionnaire analysis), citizenparticipantsㆍlocal public servants respondents acknowledged ‘relation factor’ is important inthe vitalization of citizen participation, so it should be emphasized that trust, equal relation,cooperative relation, and information exchange are the essential ingredients. As a result ofchapter four(case study analysis), we found that local public servants respondents were morepositive about ‘relation factor’ than citizen participants respondents.In chapter five, we discussed ways to vitalize citizen participation. First, in ‘citizen factor’,it requires that citizen voluntarily participate and grow naturally. In other words, promotionof citizenship, securement of leadership, and expansion of donation and volunteer work enablecitizen to participate voluntarily. And expansion of citizen capacity, interest in socialeconomy(social enterprise, community business, cooperative) enable citizen to grow naturally.Second, in ‘government factor’, it requires that government make robust logic ofgovernment support, supplementation of existing institution, establishment of new institution.In other words, reconsideration of government role and supplementation or amendment ofAssistance for NPO Act enable government to support practically. And through officialinstitution(e.g. imposition of NGO-support-tax, citizen vote-obligation-rule), government needto search for support strategies of citizen participation.Third, in ‘relation factor’, it requires that strategy for extension of public-privatecooperation, emphasis on cooperative governance viewpoint, accumulation of trust amongactors be needed. In other words, citizen could participate vigorously in citizen participation,receive some education and training about public-private cooperation, and government couldoffer cooperation-place in which citizen and government join together, communicate, exchangetheir information. And through securement of trust, citizen and government could accumulatesocial capital, and we have to take a profound interest in these strategies.