Empowered Participatory, Collaborative Governance at Primary Local Government in Korea: Consensus Building through the Geum-cheon Gu's "Community Participation Research Group

본 연구는 기초자치단체의 공공정책 및 사업과 관련하여 발생한 다양한 이해관계당사자들 간 갈등을 효과적이고 합리적으로 해결한 금천구 ‘주민참여연구단’의 사례를 소개한다. 일반 시민들의 참여, 숙의 및 협상을 바탕으로 갈등을 해소하고 합의안을 도출한 사례를 참여-숙의적 거버넌스, 협력적 거버넌스, 합의형성과 상호이익 협상 모델을 통해 분석하고자 한다. 사례분석 결과 주민들은 기초자치단체와의 협력과 주민참여연구단을 통해 가시적 갈등을 해결하였으며, 기초자치단체는 주민들에게 권한을 부여하고 합의안 도출에 자율성을 주었다. 기초자치단체는 주민들과 이해관계자들의 실익을 파악하여 대안을 도출하고 협상을 위한 설득을 진행하였으며, 도출된 합의안에 따라 사업을 진행했다. 본 연구는 합의안을 스스로 도출한 주민참여연구단 사례를 통해 기초자치단체가 주민을 참여시킬 때 기본적인 요소들을 파악하고 확인하는 데 의미가 있다. This study analyzes the case of Geum-cheon Gu's "Community Participation Research Group," as empowered participatory, collaborative governance that resolved a public conflict through consensus building among various residents and stakeholder groups at the level of primary local government in Korea. Incorporating models of empowered participatory governance, collaborative governance, consensus-building and mutual gains approach to negotiation, this study attempts to understand the factors that led to success in resolving a public conflict on potential uses of a public space. In the name of Community Participation Research Group, citizens and stakeholders were empowered to participate in deliberation and negotiation. The facilitative leadership of government officials and neutral expert in conflict resolution constructed an institutional structure of accountable autonomy. During the processes, government officials focused on interests of stakeholders, invented many creative options, and use objective criteria to persuade residents. This case implies that successful empowered participatory, collaborative governance requires factors, such as facilitative leadership, institutional design for collaboration and consensus building, and negotiation skills during the process.2

A Study on A Conflict Information Database for Public Conflict Management - Based on the Needs of Conflict Management Professionals and Stakeholders -

Improvement of public conflict management system has been key agenda for administrations in Korea since early 2000s. Despite major efforts to institutionalize alternative dispute resolution and participatory governance, public conflicts do not seem to be managed effectively. This paper focuses on the roles of information as one of the components in conflict management system with an assumption that some information may affect perception and strategies of stakeholders in ways to motivate them to use more efficient and effective mechanisms rather than strategies that rely on power or rights. This paper surveyed the needs and perceptions of conflict management professionals and stakeholders about necessary information to help them resolve conflict more effectively. This paper argues that establishing conflict information database may contribute to improving current conflict management system in Korea.2

A Study on the Locational Conflicts of Thermal Power Plants : Focused on the Construction Agreement Processes for Thermal Power Plants

This paper pays attention to the locational conflicts of new thermal power plants among private firms, local governments, and local residents at local levels . The locational conflicts around operating and new thermal power plants have long been the nation-wide problem that have put local communities into troubles. The location conflicts may be caused by private firms that would want to operate thermal power plants when they would try to get agreements from residents. The processes to get the construction agreement from residents are not specified, especially in terms of conflict management. Both the location decision of thermal power plant and the construction agreement may bring about even violent disputes between local governments and residents, and between pro-power plant residents and con-power plant residents. This paper suggests the guideline to design more sophisticated process for the construction agreement from residents which is firmly based on conflict management. This paper specifies the roles of a local government head as the neutral manager on the thermal power plant issue. This paper also recommend the use of local referendum to identify the opinion of residents as a consensus-building process.2