시민사회 규모 추계방법에 관한 탐색적 연구 = An Exploratory Study on Methods for Estimating the Size of Civil Society

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This paper explores methodologies for estimating the size of civil society. Research in this area has been slow due to conceptual ambiguity, difficulties in scope definition, and data limitations. To enable various levels of size estimation tailored to specific research and policy objectives, we revised and supplemented existing research methods utilizing the Business Registration Code, Legal Status Classification Code, and Industry Classification Code. Given the current lack of satellite statistics on civil society in Korea, this study proposes the Statistical Business Registers(SBR) as the optimal data source. We examined the possibility of extracting controversial areas within the civil society sector from the raw data and conducted pilot extractions using various scope settings. The results confirmed the ability to extract specific categories, such as medical corporations, school corporations, professional organizations, labor unions, and cooperatives. Furthermore, we were able to classify public corporations, government-funded organizations, and government-invested institutions, which were difficult to identify in previous studies. However, to accurately interpret the results and address oversampling issues, we identified the need for additional classification codes that allow for a more granular classification of the civil society sector. Government-level efforts are needed to enhance the reliability and validity of future research on the scale of civil society. This includes developing codes linked to the SBR and ensuring data accessibility for researchers. Furthermore, researchers must continue to develop methodologies and produce results in accordance with international comparative research standards.