The Paradox of Access : Non-citizens Navigating Administrative Burden in the Republic of Korea = 접근의 모순 : 대한민국에서 행정부담을 마주하는 비시민

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study investigates how non-citizen residents in the Republic of Korea (South) encounter and interpret administrative burden across public and private institutions. Drawing on administrative burden theory, the research explores learning, compliance, and psychological costs across hybrid public–private systems, including immigration offices, universities, banks, and digital platforms. Using a qualitative design and Gioia methodology, ten in-depth interviews reveal structural factors that amplify burden: extensive documentation requirements, ID-dependent digital systems, language barriers, and nationality-based stratification. Findings show that these conditions produce layered obstacles, shaping adaptive responses such as reliance on intermediaries, institutional avoidance, and informal support networks. The study introduces an integrated analytical framework that situates administrative burden within a mandatory compliance context, identifies administrative capital as a moderating factor, and highlights feedback loops that reinforce or mitigate burden over time. These insights contribute to public administration scholarship by extending burden theory to non-citizen populations and offering policy implications for inclusive governance in an era of rapid digitalization.

국문 초록 (Abstract)

본 연구는 비시민 거주자들이 (대한민국에 거주하는 외국인) 공공 및 민간 제도 전반에서 행정부담을 어떻게 경험하고 해석하는지를 분석한다. 행정부담 이론을 이론적 틀로 삼아, 출입국관리기관, 대학, 금융기관, 디지털 행정 플랫폼 등 공공–민간이 결합된 제도 환경에서 발생하는 학습비용, 준수비용, 심리적 비용을 탐구한다. 질적 연구 설계를 활용하여 수행한 10회의 심층면접 분석 결과, 과도한 서류 요구, 신분증 의존적 디지털 시스템, 언어 장벽, 국적에 따른 위계적 분류와 같은 구조적 요인들이 행정부담을 증폭시키는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 조건들은 중층적인 제도적 장애를 형성하며, 그 결과 비시민 거주자들은 중개자에 대한 의존, 제도 회피, 비공식적 지원 네트워크 활용과 같은 적응적 대응 전략을 취하게 된다. 본 연구는 행정부담을 의무적 준수 맥락 속에서 재위치 시키는 통합적 분석 틀을 제시하고, 행정자본을 행정부담을 조절하는 핵심 매개 요인으로 규명하며, 시간이 지남에 따라 부담을 강화하거나 완화하는 피드백 기제를 도출한다. 이러한 분석은 행정부담 이론을 비시민 집단으로 확장함으로써 행정학 연구에 기여하며, 급속한 디지털화 시대에 포용적 거버넌스를 위한 정책적 시사점을 제공한다.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Abstract i
• Table of Contents ii
• Tables & Figures vi
• Chapter 1. Introduction & Purpose 1
• Chapter 2. Literature & Background 4
• 2.1. Administrative Burden 4
• 2.1.1. Understanding Administrative Burden 4
• 2.1.2. Administrative Burden and Public Services 7
• 2.1.3. Administrative Burden in South Korea 7
• 2.1.4. Global Perspectives on Non-citizens 8
• 2.2. E-Governance & Informatization 9
• 2.3. Bureaucratic Culture in Korea 11
• 2.4. Administrative Capital and Unequal Navigation Capacity 14
• 2.5. Nationality Stratification & Bureaucratic Inequality 15
• 2.6. Current Policy and Administrative Landscape 17
• Chapter 3. Research Methodology 23
• 3.1. Qualitative Methods 23
• 3.1.1. Suitability for Cross-Sector Administrative Processes 24
• 3.1.2. Fit with Administrative Burden Theory 24
• 3.1.3. Addressing Non-Citizen Heterogeneity 25
• 3.1.4. Theory Building 26
• 3.1.5. Transparency in Data Handling 26
• 3.2. Interview Participants 27
• 3.3. Informed Consent and Ethics 29
• 3.4. Data Preparation 30
• 3.5. Interview Questions 31
• 3.6. Model Tools & Study Facilities 34
• 3.7. Analytical Framework 35
• 3.7.1. First-Order Coding 35
• 3.7.2. Second-Order Analysis 35
• 3.7.3. Aggregate Dimensions 36
• 3.7.4. Meta-Categories & Beyond 36
• 3.7.5. Theory Integration 38
• 3.7.6. Ensuring Credibility 38
• Chapter 4. Findings 40
• 4.1. Bureaucratic Environment 41
• 4.1.1. Administrative Performance & Capacity 41
• 4.1.2. Documentation & Identification Requirements 42
• 4.1.3. E-Governance & Digital Infrastructure 44
• 4.1.4. Legal Status & Nationality Stratification 46
• 4.1.5. Service Delivery Responsiveness 47
• 4.2. Burden Processes 49
• 4.2.1. Compliance & Transaction Costs 49
• 4.2.2. Learning & Navigation Burden 50
• 4.2.3. Language & Communication Burden 51
• 4.2.4. Psychological Costs 54
• 4.3. Responses 55
• 4.3.1. Adaptive Responses 56
• 4.3.2. Informal Support Networks & Mutual Aid 57
• 4.3.3. Institutional Avoidance 58
• 4.4. System Perceptions 59
• 4.4.1. Comparative Institutional Perceptions 59
• 4.4.2. Efforts to Accommodate Non-citizens 60
• 4.4.3. Positive Perception of Service Quality 61
• Chapter 5. Analysis 63
• 5.1. Reintroducing the Analytical Framework 63
• 5.1.1. Positioning the Framework in Relation to Theory 66
• 5.2. From Bureaucratic Environment to Burdens 68
• 5.2.1. Administrative Performance & Capacity 68
• 5.2.2. Documentation & Identification Requirements 70
• 5.2.3. E-Governance & Digital Infrastructure 72
• 5.2.4. Legal Status & Nationality Stratification 73
• 5.2.5. Service Delivery Responsiveness 75
• 5.3. Interpreting Burden Processes 77
• 5.3.1. Compliance & Transaction Costs 77
• 5.3.2. Learning & Navigation Burden 79
• 5.3.3. Language & Communication Burden 80
• 5.3.4. Psychological Costs and Feedback 81
• 5.4. Responses and Perceptions as Mediators 82
• 5.4.1. Institutional Avoidance and Its Consequences 84
• 5.4.2. System Perceptions 84
• 5.5. Feedback Loops and Dynamic Relationships 86
• 5.6. Reflections on the Analytical Framework 90
• 5.6.1. How the Framework Helped Organize the Data 90
• 5.6.2. Where the Framework Needed Adapting 90
• 5.6.3. Emerging Insights & Limitations of the Model 91
• Chapter 6. Discussion & Conclusion 93
• 6.1. Revised Theoretical Model 95
• 6.2. Future Directions 96
• 6.3. Study Limitations 98
• 6.4. Author Notes 101
• References 103
• 국문초록 114
• Acknowledgements 115
• Appendix A. Definitions of Korean Concepts 116