The Korea Local Administration Review

Practical discussion on how to improve the effectiveness of administrative services through cooperation between local governments are ongoing. This study examines the influence of the activeness of the cooperative system between local governments on the effectiveness of fire-fighting services. Based on fire fighters’ perceptions in a complex boundary new town, it was found that first, both the level of the cooperation system and the level of effectiveness of the fire-fighting service were higher for fire officials belonging to the same firefighting and disaster headquarter than others, and second, network formation and institutionalization of cooperation had a positive effect on the effectiveness of fire-fighting services. The results of this study suggest that the establishment of special local government can be considered as an alternative to a complex boundary new town governance to enhance the effectiveness of fire-fighting services.