Emergence of research on regulation policy in domestic public administration circle was in early 1990s. It was also shown in economics and politics. It might be late that researches of political economics of regulation policy were conducted in Korea i...
Emergence of research on regulation policy in domestic public administration circle was in early 1990s. It was also shown in economics and politics. It might be late that researches of political economics of regulation policy were conducted in Korea in early 1990s, compared to America who began to research it in late 1960s and England in the end of 1970s, but as concerns of it from related academic circles have been steadily increased, it is very encouraging that research of regulation policy has been an important part of public administration and policy science.
Great increase of concerns and researches on regulation policies and administration in Korea might be influenced by continuous development of regulation reform with administrative and economic reform by successive governments.
Line of regulation reform by national government can be explained as neo-liberalism in a word National government itself advocates it and the various materials of governmental regulation reform assert it Also 「White Paper of Regulation Reform」published in May of 1999 states it well.
Regulation reform by Kim Dae-Jung's government has the same connection with expansion of world-wide neoliberal value. Such a neoliberal position is shown in the direction of regulation reform. That is, it states that government must "reduce government's intervention in market, foster private competition, help autonomy and creativity of economic activities to be exerted best, abolish unnecessary regulations in the dimension of structural reform for strengthening national competitiveness and restrict creation or consolidation of a new regulation and develop regulation reform based on the idea of neo-liberalism.
Regulation reform by this government focuses on abolishing and mitigating economic regulations and it has been evaluated that its degree of regulation reform was highest since the establishment of government. But, it doesn't reach the expectation of enterprises and people who hoped to mitigate regulation. According to satisfaction evaluation of governmental regulation reform conducted jointly by the Board of Audit and Inspection and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (1999) with 500 companies, 1.1% of respondent companies answered that the result of regulation reform was 'very food', 48% of them 'good' and 49.3%, 'rather worsened'. Moreover, 60.0% of respondent companies answered that degree of regulation reform was higher than that of former governments, but results are slight. On the causes of slight results, they listed the retention of related regulations, unchanged attitude of public officials after deregulation, public officials' arbitrary interpretation of deregulation, etc. Therefore, the level of regulation reform felt by enterprises and citizens who are the major customers of regulation reform was not high. Response of enterprises of regulation reform in the position of supplier showed two contrary opinions. Korean ranked lowest in the recent evaluation of degree of price regulation, economic liberty and rationality of regulation of new banking business. The public in the position of demander have also more negative views of regulation reform than positive ones.