2021, Vol.19, No.2

Civil Society and NGO 2024 KCI Impact Factor : 0.84

pISSN : 1599-8568
https://journal.kci.go.kr/civil&NGO

Since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2019, the virus has rapidly spread across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all parts of the world. This study examines the collaboration between government and civil society against COVID-19. This study covers 10 countries, representing various socio-political and economic systems (Germany, Austria, Israel, India, Japan, United Kingdom, China, Turkey, South Korea, and Hungary). As a result, three types of collaboration between the government and civil society to respond to COVID-19 were observed: 1) mutual cooperation and complementary responses between the government and civil society (South Korea, UK, Germany, Austria, and India); 2) confrontation or control between the government and civil society (China, Turkey, Hungary); and 3) alternative relationship between government and civil society or independent response (Japan, Israel). This study also provides findings on the service and advocacy function of civil society during COVID-19 in relation to the roles of government in respective countries. This study suggested that the state's approach toward civil society varied in terms of the governance perspective. Lastly, civil society seems to have played significant roles in the public policy implementation process in spite of the variations in the observed countries.

This study examines the influence of the local network on the establishment and the sustainability of social economy organizations(SEOs), mainly focusing on the low performance of SEOs in Gyeongsangnamdo. The analysis of national data shows that the more civic groups and enterprises exist, the higher the number of SEOs per capita. It means that a more complex local network enhances the performance of SEOs. A weak social economy network has forced SEOs to depend on local government rather than other sectors for survival in Gyeongsangnamdo. It was the leading cause of the relatively subpar economic and social performances of SEOs that the practice of solidarity and cooperation has been rare in that province. Enlarged local governance consisting of more interest groups is necessary to take root social economy in the local area.

This study attempts to examine how Korean voters evaluate the morality of two major parties and analyze its influences on their party preferences and voting decision. Following Hardin’s concept of institutional morality, which is different from personal ethics or idealistic morality, it focuses on multi-dimensional moral rules of political parties required as the main institutional actors of representative democracy. Analyzing the post-election survey data of Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections in 2021, first, this research shows that those citizens prioritizing morality over policy capacity tend to vote for the candidates of the Democratic Party and the other ones tend to vote for the candidates of the People Power Party. Second, the People Power Party is perceived as superior to the Democratic Party in sexual ethics and economic policy capacity, whereas it was not in the other areas of morality and policy capacity. Finally, how voters evaluate institutional morality of the two parties as well as immoral nomination of the Democratic Party affects their party preferences and vote choices. These results suggest that systematic analysis on political morality is needed in the study of Korean elections.