Determinants of Aid Modalities: A Case of South Korea on Triangular Cooperation and its Implication towards North Korea

Purpose—This study argues that the nature of aid modalities is a practical factor for aid donors in choosing modalities, while the theory shows the international norms and trends, the donor’s domestic political environment, and the circumstances in the recipient country are the main rationale for the choice of aid modality. Design/Methodology/Approach—This study examines the main determinants of aid modalities by exploring the cases of aid organizations in South Korea with an aid modality of triangular cooperation (TrC). This study suggests more case studies to theoretically conceptualize practical approaches into academic discussions as well as separate research projects regarding TrC. Findings—TrC can be used to develop an effective support mechanism from South Korea to North Korea in revising the old Sunshine Policy as well as the Inter-Korea Cooperation Fund (IKCF) in Moon Jae- In’s new government, or even after

동유럽과 동아시아 공여국의 원조정책 비교에 대한 소고 [Determinants of Development Aid Policy: A Comparative Study between Eastern European Donors and East Asian Donors]

This study aims to analyse and compare the determinants of development aid policy between Eastern European donors (the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Poland) and East Asian donors (South Korea, China, and Japan). This research has found that all of these donor cases show a tendency to integrate the global norms of the UN MDGs in their aid policies, while only OECD DAC member donors tend to apply DAC standards in their policies. At the same time, this study argues that, in general, political interests and commercial interests have become important determinants in the aid policy decision-making process, while humanitarian purpose has become less influential. In the end, the findings of the study imply that the aid policy determinants theory, which is built upon traditional donors’ experiences, can be applied to both Eastern European and East Asian donor cases

Development Cooperation Decentralization by Local Government: A Comparative Study of Aid Policy in the United Kingdom and Germany [국제개발협력의 지방분권화에 대한 소고 : 영국과 독일의 원조정책 비교연구]

This paper aims to discuss effectiveness and obstacles of development cooperation decentralization by employing a comparative case study of United Kingdom and Germany. With SDGs, international community has emphasized the importance of decentralization of development cooperaton, which means that the central governments admits roles and importance of local governments in aid activities, and allows decentralized approach by the local governments towards developing countries at the local level. Findings of this study have confirmed that decentralization can improve aid effectiveness in developing countries at the local level. At the same time, the German experience implies that we can minimize obstacles of decentralization in practice. This research suggests to conduct a further research on more case studies of decentralization so that we can contribute to development and advancement of decentralized approach of development cooperation in order to achieve development effectiveness both at the international level and local level. In the end, we expect that the results of the study, which employed a methodology of combining a theoretical approach into the policy cases, can contribute to the field of Area Studies as well as Development Studies

Forging 'Soft' Accountability in Unlikely Settings: A Conceptual Analysis of Mutual Accountability in the Context of South-South Cooperation

This study sets out to introduce the concept of soft accountability as a new approach to understanding mutual accountability in unlikely settings of development cooperation through South-South cooperation. In doing so, this study analyzes three defining components of accountability (responsibility, answerability, and enforceability) and identifies the actors and modalities of mutual accountability in four different situations of South-South cooperation mechanisms. The main finding in this conceptual analysis contains establishing an institutional and sustainable development platform for the mutual accountability of South-South cooperation by not only reflecting the distinctive nature of South-South cooperation, but also focusing on responsibility first to reduce buck-passing among actors and to sustain its continuous management

The Paradox of Unsustainability in UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): The North Korean Case in the Context of Accountability and the Fragile States under Sanctions

This study examines whether North Korea can be a part of the SDG process as a fragile state under sanctions. The paper focuses on the accountability mechanism of the SDG implementation process, and analyses how North Korea has engaged in the process and what needs to be addressed in order to achieve ‘leave no one behind’ principle of the SDGs. The findings of the study reveal that North Korea can engage in the SDG process, but only when a culture of accountability develops in its society as well as in its government structure. This study suggests employing the concept of ‘transitional accountability’ in a fragile context, with a shadow reporting system. Finally, the study argues that a constructive accountability approach can be more effective than a punitive one, especially in fragile states under sanctions