Liberalization of Trade in Services and Productivity Growth in Korea

This paper investigates the changes in productivity growth rates of Korean service and manufacturing subsectors in relation to the liberalization of trade in services. Since Korea underwent accelerated liberalization of the service sector in the 1990s, we try to examine whether the service subsectors which were liberalized, and the manufacturing subsectors which use liberalized services as inputs, experienced productivity gains in this period.liberalization, trade services, Korea

The Yonmenkaigi System Method for Disaster Restoration of a Local Community in Korea

AbstractThis paper introduces the Yonmenkaigi System Method for creating collaborative action plans for community building to improve disaster restoration at the local community level using a participatory method. A Yonmenkaigi system method workshop was carried out in the Garisan-ri community, County of Inje, Province of Gangwon, Korea in 2012. The Garisan-ri community case shows how inhabitants who was damaged caused by the flood disaster in 2006 can collaboratively develop action plans of the Garisan-ri disaster education camp for their community restoration. The Yonmenkaigi System Method, originally designed in a local community in Japan, comprises four stages: clarifying the main theme by SWOT analysis, drawing up a Yonmenkaigi chart by four groups, debating to improve the implementation of collaborative action plans among four groups, and presenting joined-up action plan of the groups. A participatory workshop by the Yonmenkaigi System Method be summarized as follows; 1) Making collaborative action plans to carry out community building activities for disaster restoration, 2) Providing a sharing space between local community and local government, 3) Sharing vision among local community people for community building from the flood disaster, 4) Improving capacity of human resources in a local community