Rural areas in Korea are affected by long-term demographic changes, such as rural population decline, aging, and the continuous outflow of the young generation. Through these changing trends, social concerns are growing about the collapse and disappearance of rural communities. Accordingly, the Korean government has implemented a variety of policy approaches to ensure that rural communities continue to prosper and reproduce economically, socially and environmentally.
However, these approaches have limitations in solving the complex problems facing rural areas. First, each policy practitioner focuses on achieving short-term and detailed outputs, they often neglect the intertwined and complex interactives for recognizing territorial-based conditions over rural areas. In these cases, it is possible to decrease the potential of rural communities through overlapping investments. Second, ‘placeless’ policy practices are routinized by blurring the inherited differences and characteristics among urban, rural and island areas.
Therefore, it is important to discern whether the policy of rural place and people clearly reflects rural conditions and perspectives - including its possibilities, limitations, opportunities and challenges, and identifies its impacts and limitations over the rural communities. Moreover, its policy is not only appropriate delivery tools and channels for rural change, but also strives to continuously improve or revise in response to rural threats and challenges.
The framework of the rural policy implemented by the Korean government is as follows (Figure 2). First, it is related to the ‘quality of rural life policy’, which is promoted to fairly improve the quality of rural life without discriminating among age, gender and class, etc. Second, it is categorized as rural development policy. Its purpose is to promote a variety of ‘rural development and revitalization’ over rural communities. It includes various projects and institutions related to rural development and revitalization, rural planning, etc. Third, other policies include various sectoral efforts for the important rural issues such as social inclusion, support for rural partnerships, expansion of the social economy, and gender equality.
Among them, the quality of rural life policy is not only a policy-set for guaranteeing the basic human rights in everyday life in rural area, but also a continuous and strategic approach to improve the quality and level of rural well-being services, delivered by the government or inherently met by rural communities themselves.
Therefore, the quality of rural life policy is regarded as a policy-set implemented by many ministries in government in a variety of sectors such as health, welfare, education, culture, living environments, employment, etc. Under the “Special Act on the Improvement of Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and the Promotion of Rural Development” enacted in 2004, it aims to improve the quality and level of public services and their delivery, and to promote integrated rural development over places and people (Table 1).[1]
Additionally, the policy itself is seen as a framework of continuous policy-feedback and multi-sectoral debate and negotiation process. The policy needs the institutionalized feedback process such as ‘monitoring of policy implementation process’, ‘evaluation and identification of policy effects’, ‘policy debate and negotiation through the ‘Committee for Improvement of Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and the Promotion of Rural Development’[1], etc. So, this framework includes: 1) regulations on the scope of policies affecting rural people and places according to the ‘Master Plan for Improving the Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and Rural Development’[2], 2) policy monitoring and evaluation means, such as the ‘Inspection and Evaluation of Implement Plan’[3]; 3) inter-ministerial debate and negotiation through coordination by the Prime Minister in the quality of rural life committee; and 4) a policy feedback system, such as rural proofing.
RURAL PROOFING AND ITS INSTITUTIONALIZATION
Rural proofing in Korea
The rural proofing in Korea is carried out to adjust the policy by evaluating how the policies promoted by the government have an impact significantly on the primary bases of everyday life of rural people (MAFRA, 2020). Therefore, it selects the plans, policies and projects established by ministries and local governments that are highly relevant to the improvement of the quality of rural life (Table 2).
In Korea, after the necessity of introducing rural proofing was raised in the 2nd master plan announced in 2009 (MAFRA, 2009), there were several attempts to activate the rural proofing procedure through the academic efforts of a few researchers. Afterwards, it was established institutionally when specific implementation procedures were established through the enactment of ‘Rural Proofing Operation Guideline’ in 2020.
Therefore, rural proofing is proposed as a means of monitoring and intervention in the practices of each policy through a rural-cognitive perspective (Jung, 2021). It is to evaluate for each policy, whether 1) the purpose and means are based on reasonable awareness of the rural conditions and limitations, 2) the impact of policy delivery is fair compared with urban areas, and 3) the needs, voices and visions of rural communities are appropriately interlinked with each process of policy implementations.
According to the guideline, the target policy for which the rural proofing is carried out is to be decided by the committee after deliberation among the policies related to the items presented in the ‘Rural Service Standards’[4]. And then, it is to be evaluated the impact on the economy, society, and environment of rural areas. In 2021, the rural proofing is being carried out through two themes: ‘Improvement of commuting conditions for rural students’ and ‘Improvement of rural transportation system’.
Results of negotiations and policy revisions through rural proofing after 2020
After the institutionalization of rural proofing in 2020, starting from 2021, rural proofing was carried out for two policy tasks each year. The target task of rural proofing is decided through discussions at the committee among candidates reviewed through the demands and public opinion of rural communities. Rural proofing examines the policy's purpose, expected achievement goals by year, monitors the policy implementation process, and evaluates the policy’s performance (output, outcome, and social effect).
CONCLUSION
Korean government ministries are accustomed to implementing ‘placeless’ policies, without recognizing the differences and discernment of rural agriculture, places, and people. Although these policy practices may have contributed to improving governmental efficiency, they resulted in undermining the fair rights for the quality of life of all people, regardless of rural and urban differences. By establishing policy accountability based on a rural-cognitive perspective, rural proofing will contribute to ensuring fair delivery of polices to rural people.
The policy feedback system through rural proofing can be used as an approach for continuous communication and interaction among various government organizations. It can be helpful to organize soft and informal networks that collaborate across ministries for the vision of rural change, as well as institutionalized formal procedure. In addition, it can also be an appropriate alternative tool for seeking help from community stakeholders in partnership on the rural agenda.
REFERENCES
Dongbum Jo, Hyunchul Lee, Wonsuk Lee and Kwangsuk Kim (2021). Rural Proofing 2021: Improving commuting conditions in rural areas: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA).
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) (2020). the 4th Master plan for improvement of quality of life for famers and fishermen and the promotion of rural development: Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI).
Moonsoo Jung, Kyungmin Sohn, Seoyoung Yoo and Joungyun Hwang (2022). Rural Proofing 2022: Resolving the urban-rural gap in childbirth medical care: MAFRA.
Moonsoo Jung (2021). Institutional Framework and Prospects of the Quality of Rural Life Policy in Korea. FFCC Agricultural Policy Platform. https://ap.fftc.org.tw/article/2950.
Nayoung Kim, Jihyun Kim, Mira Jo and Eunyoung Park (2022). Rural Proofing 2022: Increase in infant care facilities in rural areas: MAFRA.
Statistics Korea (1980~2022). Population Census. https://kostat.go.kr
Sunghyo Hong, Jinhee Kim and Sangmyoung Park (2021). Rural Proofing 2021: Improvement of rural and urban transportation models: MAFRA.
Special Act on the Improvement of Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and the Promotion of Rural Development. https://law.go.kr
Administrative Rules: Rural Proofing Operation Guideline (Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Notification No. 2020-85, Enacted on October 23, 2020). https://law.go.kr
[1] From now on, the “Special Act on the Improvement of Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and the Promotion of Rural Development” will be referred to as the ‘Quality of Rural Life Act’ or the ‘Act’.
[2] Based on the Act, the committee is operated by the Prime Minister as the chairman and ministers of each ministry as the members. The committee's role is to inspect the current status of rural life, and to evaluate its implementation and performance of related policies. Additionally, policy debates and negotiations among ministries take place within the committee. From now on, the 'Committee for Improvement of Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and the Promotion of Rural Development' will be referred to as the ‘committee’.
[3] Based on the act, the Committee is given the authority and responsibility to determine the specific items and scope of the rural quality of life policies through the establishment of the 'Master Plan' (per 5 year) and ‘Implement Plan’ (per 1 year), and carries out inspection and evaluation procedures about the entire policies every year
[4] The ‘Inspection and Evaluation of Implement Plan’ is defined as implement monitoring and performance evaluation procedures of the policies by each ministry and its branch every year (Jung, 2021).
[5] ‘Rural Service Standards’ is referred to as a specifically designated list and its policy goals to be achieved of
national minimum standards for the fundamental public services that the government should deliver in rural
communities (Jung, 2021).
Exploring the Institutional Development of Rural Policy and the Role of Rural Proofing in Korea
ABSTRACT
This article describes the institutional development of rural policy and the role of rural proofing in Korea, focusing on the 'Quality of Rural Life Policy'. It highlights the importance of improving the quality of life for rural communities and the need for policy adjustments through the institutionalizing of policy monitoring and feedback system to address rural-specific challenges. Rural proofing is introduced as a method to evaluate policies' impact on rural areas and ensure fair rights for the quality of human life compared to urban areas. It also emphasizes the significance of recognizing rural conditions and implementing policies that cater to the place-based needs of rural people and their communities.
Keywords: rural policy, the quality of rural life policy, rural proofing
INTRODUCTION
Rural areas in Korea are affected by long-term demographic changes, such as rural population decline, aging, and the continuous outflow of the young generation. Through these changing trends, social concerns are growing about the collapse and disappearance of rural communities. Accordingly, the Korean government has implemented a variety of policy approaches to ensure that rural communities continue to prosper and reproduce economically, socially and environmentally.
However, these approaches have limitations in solving the complex problems facing rural areas. First, each policy practitioner focuses on achieving short-term and detailed outputs, they often neglect the intertwined and complex interactives for recognizing territorial-based conditions over rural areas. In these cases, it is possible to decrease the potential of rural communities through overlapping investments. Second, ‘placeless’ policy practices are routinized by blurring the inherited differences and characteristics among urban, rural and island areas.
Therefore, it is important to discern whether the policy of rural place and people clearly reflects rural conditions and perspectives - including its possibilities, limitations, opportunities and challenges, and identifies its impacts and limitations over the rural communities. Moreover, its policy is not only appropriate delivery tools and channels for rural change, but also strives to continuously improve or revise in response to rural threats and challenges.
RURAL POLICY IN KOREA
The framework of the rural policy implemented by the Korean government is as follows (Figure 2). First, it is related to the ‘quality of rural life policy’, which is promoted to fairly improve the quality of rural life without discriminating among age, gender and class, etc. Second, it is categorized as rural development policy. Its purpose is to promote a variety of ‘rural development and revitalization’ over rural communities. It includes various projects and institutions related to rural development and revitalization, rural planning, etc. Third, other policies include various sectoral efforts for the important rural issues such as social inclusion, support for rural partnerships, expansion of the social economy, and gender equality.
Among them, the quality of rural life policy is not only a policy-set for guaranteeing the basic human rights in everyday life in rural area, but also a continuous and strategic approach to improve the quality and level of rural well-being services, delivered by the government or inherently met by rural communities themselves.
Therefore, the quality of rural life policy is regarded as a policy-set implemented by many ministries in government in a variety of sectors such as health, welfare, education, culture, living environments, employment, etc. Under the “Special Act on the Improvement of Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and the Promotion of Rural Development” enacted in 2004, it aims to improve the quality and level of public services and their delivery, and to promote integrated rural development over places and people (Table 1).[1]
Additionally, the policy itself is seen as a framework of continuous policy-feedback and multi-sectoral debate and negotiation process. The policy needs the institutionalized feedback process such as ‘monitoring of policy implementation process’, ‘evaluation and identification of policy effects’, ‘policy debate and negotiation through the ‘Committee for Improvement of Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and the Promotion of Rural Development’[1], etc. So, this framework includes: 1) regulations on the scope of policies affecting rural people and places according to the ‘Master Plan for Improving the Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and Rural Development’[2], 2) policy monitoring and evaluation means, such as the ‘Inspection and Evaluation of Implement Plan’[3]; 3) inter-ministerial debate and negotiation through coordination by the Prime Minister in the quality of rural life committee; and 4) a policy feedback system, such as rural proofing.
RURAL PROOFING AND ITS INSTITUTIONALIZATION
Rural proofing in Korea
The rural proofing in Korea is carried out to adjust the policy by evaluating how the policies promoted by the government have an impact significantly on the primary bases of everyday life of rural people (MAFRA, 2020). Therefore, it selects the plans, policies and projects established by ministries and local governments that are highly relevant to the improvement of the quality of rural life (Table 2).
In Korea, after the necessity of introducing rural proofing was raised in the 2nd master plan announced in 2009 (MAFRA, 2009), there were several attempts to activate the rural proofing procedure through the academic efforts of a few researchers. Afterwards, it was established institutionally when specific implementation procedures were established through the enactment of ‘Rural Proofing Operation Guideline’ in 2020.
Therefore, rural proofing is proposed as a means of monitoring and intervention in the practices of each policy through a rural-cognitive perspective (Jung, 2021). It is to evaluate for each policy, whether 1) the purpose and means are based on reasonable awareness of the rural conditions and limitations, 2) the impact of policy delivery is fair compared with urban areas, and 3) the needs, voices and visions of rural communities are appropriately interlinked with each process of policy implementations.
According to the guideline, the target policy for which the rural proofing is carried out is to be decided by the committee after deliberation among the policies related to the items presented in the ‘Rural Service Standards’[4]. And then, it is to be evaluated the impact on the economy, society, and environment of rural areas. In 2021, the rural proofing is being carried out through two themes: ‘Improvement of commuting conditions for rural students’ and ‘Improvement of rural transportation system’.
Results of negotiations and policy revisions through rural proofing after 2020
After the institutionalization of rural proofing in 2020, starting from 2021, rural proofing was carried out for two policy tasks each year. The target task of rural proofing is decided through discussions at the committee among candidates reviewed through the demands and public opinion of rural communities. Rural proofing examines the policy's purpose, expected achievement goals by year, monitors the policy implementation process, and evaluates the policy’s performance (output, outcome, and social effect).
CONCLUSION
Korean government ministries are accustomed to implementing ‘placeless’ policies, without recognizing the differences and discernment of rural agriculture, places, and people. Although these policy practices may have contributed to improving governmental efficiency, they resulted in undermining the fair rights for the quality of life of all people, regardless of rural and urban differences. By establishing policy accountability based on a rural-cognitive perspective, rural proofing will contribute to ensuring fair delivery of polices to rural people.
The policy feedback system through rural proofing can be used as an approach for continuous communication and interaction among various government organizations. It can be helpful to organize soft and informal networks that collaborate across ministries for the vision of rural change, as well as institutionalized formal procedure. In addition, it can also be an appropriate alternative tool for seeking help from community stakeholders in partnership on the rural agenda.
REFERENCES
Dongbum Jo, Hyunchul Lee, Wonsuk Lee and Kwangsuk Kim (2021). Rural Proofing 2021: Improving commuting conditions in rural areas: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA).
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) (2020). the 4th Master plan for improvement of quality of life for famers and fishermen and the promotion of rural development: Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI).
Moonsoo Jung, Kyungmin Sohn, Seoyoung Yoo and Joungyun Hwang (2022). Rural Proofing 2022: Resolving the urban-rural gap in childbirth medical care: MAFRA.
Moonsoo Jung (2021). Institutional Framework and Prospects of the Quality of Rural Life Policy in Korea. FFCC Agricultural Policy Platform. https://ap.fftc.org.tw/article/2950.
Nayoung Kim, Jihyun Kim, Mira Jo and Eunyoung Park (2022). Rural Proofing 2022: Increase in infant care facilities in rural areas: MAFRA.
Statistics Korea (1980~2022). Population Census. https://kostat.go.kr
Sunghyo Hong, Jinhee Kim and Sangmyoung Park (2021). Rural Proofing 2021: Improvement of rural and urban transportation models: MAFRA.
Special Act on the Improvement of Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and the Promotion of Rural Development. https://law.go.kr
Administrative Rules: Rural Proofing Operation Guideline (Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Notification No. 2020-85, Enacted on October 23, 2020). https://law.go.kr
[1] From now on, the “Special Act on the Improvement of Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and the Promotion of Rural Development” will be referred to as the ‘Quality of Rural Life Act’ or the ‘Act’.
[2] Based on the Act, the committee is operated by the Prime Minister as the chairman and ministers of each ministry as the members. The committee's role is to inspect the current status of rural life, and to evaluate its implementation and performance of related policies. Additionally, policy debates and negotiations among ministries take place within the committee. From now on, the 'Committee for Improvement of Quality of Life for Farmers and Fishermen and the Promotion of Rural Development' will be referred to as the ‘committee’.
[3] Based on the act, the Committee is given the authority and responsibility to determine the specific items and scope of the rural quality of life policies through the establishment of the 'Master Plan' (per 5 year) and ‘Implement Plan’ (per 1 year), and carries out inspection and evaluation procedures about the entire policies every year
[4] The ‘Inspection and Evaluation of Implement Plan’ is defined as implement monitoring and performance evaluation procedures of the policies by each ministry and its branch every year (Jung, 2021).
[5] ‘Rural Service Standards’ is referred to as a specifically designated list and its policy goals to be achieved of
national minimum standards for the fundamental public services that the government should deliver in rural
communities (Jung, 2021).