| Popis: |
South Korea has achieved great transformations of economic development and democratisation over the past six decades. In recent years, however, there have been growing concerns about the sustainability of South Korean democracy in general and the competence of the bureaucracy in particular. The South Korean bureaucracy has been criticised for not exercising professionalism or utilising its expertise: ‘The South Korean bureaucracy has lost its soul.’ With such observations and interpretations, an important question emerges: what is the relationship between democratically elected governors (in particular, the presidents and political appointees) and bureaucracy in the post-developmental and democratisation era? This chapter starts from the hypothesis that such problems are related to the balance between political control and bureaucratic autonomy. The chapter thus examines such relationships from the viewpoint of accountability. It defines accountability as the balance between political control and bureaucratic autonomy and professionalism. It examines government policies, including institutional arrangements and political measures, which were intended to enhance political control and accountability. The chapter also pays special attention to institutional arrangements that hold the bureaucracy accountable. |
