Two faces of decentralization in South Korea

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to review historical progress and current picture of decentralization in Korea from political, administrative and fiscal perspectives. Design/methodology/approach - This paper draws on economic as well as political theories regarding decentralization and describes historical development of the local autonomy system in Korea. Findings - This paper discusses the current discrepancies among the progress of political, administrative and fiscal independence in the local autonomy system in Korea and concludes that the lack of fiscal independence in the local level significantly undermines the efficacy of political and administrative decentralization in Korea. Originality/value - Decentralization has three distinct perspectives. This paper examines decentralization in Korea from all three perspectives.