Analysis of the Bottom-up Rural Development Project viewed from the New Institutionalism in Korea

Abstract

Although the bottom-up rural area development project was conceived with great expectations, the general evaluation of the project so far reveals that it does not significantly differ from projects carried out in a top-down manner. This paper examines the nature of the bottom-up rural area development project with a focus on its background, including the roles of authority and project participants. Results revealed that the project was designed to be implemented in line with the state affairs ideology of the leader in a negative position of bureaucratic society. Though the form of implementation for the project seemed bottom-up as seen in the process of the roles and authorities in supporting organizations the top-down method of implementation can be seen in the authorities and roles of the central government. It was also noticed that the private sector, designed to elicit participation of various experts, looked to be managed and controlled by public organizations. The abovementioned signifies that the Korea rural area development project has been implemented not in a bottom-up manner but rather in an ever-strong top-down manner, which means that the central government holds more responsibility for the project's results, evaluation, and discussions. Furthermore, as seen in the background of the project, policies have been implemented in a top-down manner without the confidence of the bureaucratic society. Therefore, in order to implement a proper bottom-up rural area development project, there is a need for the bureaucratic society to have confidence in the rural societies.