The Korea Local Administration Review

This study analyses institutional evolution focusing on the policy of raising thestatus of city and its reorganization from the perspective of historicalinstitutionalism in South Korea for the last 63 years. Historically the policy can bedivided into five periods being affected by endogenous and exogenous impact.This research found the characteristics of the policy changes as following:contingency(1949-60) → drift & conversion(1961-80) → reproduction byadaption(1981-93) → layering & drift(1994-2008) → layering(2009-12).Recently the policy change in this area may be characterized as high vetopossibilities and law discretionary power comparatively. Some implications inreorganization policy of local administrative district can be found that the policycould present some incentives financially and autonomously to big cities, whichmakes individual cities decide their consolidation with others by themselves,rather than government initiatives.
□ Keywords: Local Government Restructuring, City, Local Administrative District,Historical Institutionalism