10/26/2009
The 23rd Annual CLA-FNF International Conference, “Local Autonomy and Democracy: History and Challenges”
On October 22nd, 2009, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty in cooperation with the Center for Local Autonomy held an international conference on local autonomy that took place at Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea. The conference focused on the historical development of local autonomy as well as its prospects for contributing to democratic development. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Byung Dae Choi, President of the Korean Association for Local Government Studies. Professor Choi described the history of local autonomy in South Korea and discussed current reform efforts. A central theme running through his remarks was the problematic nature of “top-down” approaches to enhancing efficiency within the local governmental system.
The first of three papers was presented by Dr. Peter Collin, Professor at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. He pointed out that local autonomy in Germany eventually was encouraged by the government and developed within a time of crisis. From the very beginning, a special civic element was inherent, that later, within the times of economic and industrial boom (approximately 1860-1910), led to the rise of strong and self-confident cities. With the rise of burdening duties the danger of financial and political dependence on the government increased as well. As financial scopes of public authorities shrank during the hard times of the Weimar Republic, it turned out that the communities lost their independence since they were not legally protected by the constitution. Brian Adams, Associate Professor of Political Science at San Diego State University, presented the second paper, titled “The Democratic Benefits of Devolution: A Comparison of South Korea and the United States.” This paper explores the potential benefits of devolution for citizen participation, arguing that its primary benefit is that it changes the nature of citizen participation, allowing citizens to engage the policy making process in a deeper and more substantive way. The third paper was titled “Democracy and Local Autonomy: Unresolved Issues in the Korean Case,” by Professor Moon Hee Kang of Korea National Open University. In this paper, Professor Kang examined five unresolved issues regarding local autonomy: citizen participation, center-local relations, inter-regional conflict and cooperation, the role of parties, and reform of administration districts. These unresolved issues create an uncertain future for local autonomy in Korea.
The following lively discussion centered around challenges facing local autonomy in Korea, such as corruption, wasteful spending, partisanship, and metropolitan inequality. A central theme that emerged from this discussion is that these challenges need to be addressed in order for local autonomy to be enhanced in Korea.
After the conference the speakers from overseas had the opportunity to discuss current local issues with the mayor of Paju, Ryoo, Hwa-Sun.
