Title Page A Study of Perceptions of How to Organize Local Government Multi-Lateral Cross- Boundary Collaboration by Min Han Kim B.A. in Economics, Korea University, 2010 Master of Public Administration, Seoul National University, 2014 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2021 Committee Membership Page UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS This dissertation was presented by Min Han Kim It was defended on February 2, 2021 and approved by George W. Dougherty, Jr., Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs William N. Dunn, Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs Tobin Im, Professor, Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University Dissertation Advisor: B. Guy Peters, Maurice Falk Professor of American Government, Department of Political Science ii Copyright © by Min Han Kim 2021 iii Abstract A Study of Perceptions of How to Organize Local Government Multi-Lateral Cross- Boundary Collaboration Min Han Kim University of Pittsburgh, 2021 This dissertation research is a study of subjectivity. That is, the purpose of this dissertation research is to better understand how South Korean local government officials perceive the current practice, future prospects, and potential avenues for development of multi-lateral cross-boundary collaboration among the governments that they work for. To this purpose, I first conduct literature review on cross-boundary intergovernmental organizations, both in the United States and in other countries. Then, I conduct literature review on regional intergovernmental organizations (RIGOs). The literature review is followed by a historical review of South Korea’s local autonomy and regionalism, and a systemic analysis of the current South Korean literature on regional governance. Based on the comprehensive review of the extant literature, I propose that the RIGO framework is exportable beyond the United States boundaries and I use the South Korean case to test this. Then, I provide a description of the methodology used in this study to conduct research and analysis: I first present research questions and hypotheses; describe how the concourse and the Q-set of this study are created as well as how the study participants are selected, and Q-sort administered; describe how the data analysis is conducted; and provide a list of the Q statements used for the study. I then report the findings: there are five factor groups, which are agenda-broadening, agenda-narrowing, membership-expanding, equality-promoting, and local-government-centric. I present an interpretation of the factors in relation to Miller and Nelles’ identification of RIGOs and also discuss consensus and disagreement that exist among the factor groups identified. Then, iv I evaluate the hypotheses of this research in relation to the factors elicited. Furthermore, based on the factor profiles, I evaluate the revealed perceptual and attitudinal similarities and differences among South Korean local government officials with regard to their experience and view on the current practice, future prospects, and potential avenues for development of the RIGOs in South Korea. Lastly, I conclude the research with a summary of the findings, the research implications, both theoretical and practical, and some limitations of this research and recommendations for future research agenda. v Table of Contents Preface .......................................................................................................................................... xii 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Problem Statement ......................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Rationale .......................................................................................................................... 6 1.3 Policy and Theoretical Significance .............................................................................. 8 1.4 Overview of Chapters ................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Extant Literature on Cross-Boundary Intergovernmental Organizations ............. 13 2.1.1 Cross-Boundary Intergovernmental Organizations’ Attributes and Activities .............................................................................................................................22 2.1.2 Historical Change and the Evolution of Cross-Boundary Intergovernmental Organizations .....................................................................................................27 2.1.3 Cross-Boundary Intergovernmental Organizations beyond USA .................31 2.1.4 Limitations of the Current Literature on Cross-Boundary Intergovernmental Organizations .....................................................................................................34 2.2 Extant Literature on RIGOs ....................................................................................... 36 2.2.1 Defining and Operationalizing the Five Properties of RIGOs .......................37 2.2.2 Strengths of the RIGO Framework ..................................................................42 3.1 South Korea’s Local Autonomy and Regional Governance ..................................... 45 3.2 Extant Literature on Regional Governance in South Korea .................................... 52 3.3 Testing Exportability of the RIGO Framework: Using the South Korean Case ... 55 4.1 Research Questions and Hypotheses .......................................................................... 66 vi 4.2 Research Design ............................................................................................................ 72 4.2.1 Concourse, Q Set, Q Distribution, and Pilot Study .........................................73 4.2.2 Participant Selection and Q-Sort ......................................................................76 4.2.3 Data Analysis ......................................................................................................79 4.3 Selection of Q Statements ............................................................................................ 80 4.3.1 Membership ........................................................................................................80 4.3.2 Agenda .................................................................................................................81 4.3.4 Ambition .............................................................................................................82 4.3.5 Scale .....................................................................................................................83 4.3.6 Summary .............................................................................................................84 5.1 Analysis and Interpretation ......................................................................................... 85 5.2 Five Factor Groups ....................................................................................................... 91 5.2.1 Factor Group One and Factor Group One-: Agenda-Broadening and Agenda-Narrowing ............................................................................................91 5.2.2 Factor Group Two: Membership-Expanding .................................................94 5.2.3 Factor Group Three: Equality-Promoting ......................................................96 5.2.4 Factor Group Four: Local Government-Centric ............................................98 5.2.5 Factor Group Profile Summary ......................................................................100 5.3 Consensus vs. Disagreement among the Five Factor Groups ................................. 104 5.4 RIGO Characteristics and the Five Factor Groups ................................................ 107 5.4.3 Number of RIGO Member Local Governments and the Five Factor Groups ...........................................................................................................................110 vii 5.5 Three-Dimensional Patterns of Attitudes toward RIGOs’ Membership, Agenda, and Ambition ..................................................................................................................... 113 6.1 Summary of Findings ................................................................................................. 116 6.2 Implications for Theory ............................................................................................. 117 6.3 Implications for Policy and Management ................................................................ 118 6.4 Limitations and Future Research ............................................................................. 119 Appendix A Current Political and Administrative Structures of Local Government in South Korea in Brief ............................................................................................................ 121 Appendix B City-County Consolidations in South Korea: 1995-2012 ................................. 123 Appendix C Articles, Sections, and Subsections of Local Autonomy Act Relevant to Three Types of Regional Governance ...............................................................................