Searching for Participatory Governance in Korea

Abstract

This study examines the possibilities and challenges of committee governance in President Roh Moo-hyun's “Participatory Government” initiative in Korea. Governing by committee or commission gained more prominence in the Roh administration (2003‐07) than in any other administration previously. The analysis in this paper builds on the theory of participatory governance in line with the “new governance” approach. It empirically examines the Presidential Commission on Sustainable Development (PCSD) established in response to the “Agenda 21” initiative. In particular, this study addresses why governing by committee has limitations in representing non-state actors in the national policy-making process. It analyses government reports and statistics as well as survey and interview data from former committee members and public officials. The major findings suggest that, whereas the PCSD improved representation of citizens in the national policy process, the internal decision-making process was limited to a small number of participants that included public officials rather than a more diverse range of committee members.