지방자치행정에의 시민참여에 관한 연구*: 참여제도와 의식에 관한 경험적 분석을 중심으로

Abstract

This study was conducted to answer two important questions: first, what kind of institutional measures are available for citizen participation?; second, what do citizens think about it? The former question was answered by analyzing currently available measures of participation provided by the local government. To answer the latter question a citizen survey was conducted in the city of Suwon.There have been a variety of institutional measures of participation such as committees, hearings, information disclosure, etc. However most of them are not effective in satisfying citizen needs and providing better local public services. Thus, more direct measures of participation including referendum and recall are needed to speed up the process of participation at the local level.The citizen survey shows that citizens have a strong desire for participation but they lack the knowledge on how they can participate. So, it is strongly recommended that the local government should conduct more active public relations activities for citizen participation and provide more opportunities for education. Also, there should be more room for non-governmental organizations to participate and make their voices into community decision-making.Almost a decade has passed since the system of local autonomy was introduced again in this country. Although the level of decentralization does not fully provide local authorities with sufficient autonomy, local governments are required to provide their citizens with more opportunities for participation since both decentralization and participation are two critical components of local autonomy.