논문

Improving the autonomy of local governments has been one of major issues in the field of local government studies in Korea since the local autonomy system was in effect in 1991. Many studies indicate that the current autonomous power of Korean local governments is very weak and is largely subjected to the controls and directions of central government. Therefore it has been argued that more decentralization of governmental power to local governments must be made and, at the same time, particular situations of each local government should be taken into account in order to develop the Korean local government system.
This study identifies two dimensions of local autonomy: decentralization of governmental power and internal efficiency of governmental operations. And then it investigates strategies for improving the autonomy of Korean local governments in terms of legislative, organizational, administrative, and financial power. And it also suggests strategies for improving the internal efficiency of local governmental operations. The practical implications of strategies for improving the autonomy of Korean local government are then discussed.