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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

Beyond Policy Recipients: A Call for Citizen Oversight in 'Why Policies Fail'

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Lee Chang-gon's book 'Why Policies Fail' examines the decision-making processes behind policies and proposes methods to prevent policy failures.
  • The book analyzes historical policy failures, particularly in low birthrate initiatives, attributing them to factors like concentrated power and weak political structures.
  • It serves as a guide for citizens to become active monitors of policy, moving beyond passive reception.

Policies, often presented as blueprints for a better future during election campaigns, frequently fall short of their intended goals. Lee Chang-gon's book, 'Why Policies Fail,' delves into the intricate processes of policy creation and decision-making, offering concrete examples and proposing solutions to avert such failures. Lee, a former journalist who covered welfare issues and led the Hankyoreh Economic and Social Research Institute, now heads the Financial Services and Ubuntu Foundation.

Why Policies Fail

— Lee Chang-gonThe title of the book, reflecting its central theme.

Drawing on his experience as a journalist, Lee vividly illustrates the policy-making journey and clearly dissects the causes and consequences of policy failures across successive governments. He identifies the "low birthrate policy" as a prime example of policy failure. Despite South Korea's birthrate dropping below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman during the Chun Doo-hwan administration, government policies continued to focus on population control. Subsequent administrations oscillated between encouraging births and expanding welfare, yet the fundamental issues remained unresolved. Even the Moon Jae-in administration's shift towards creating a society where "life does not collapse even if you have a child" faltered because it did not push through necessary "structural reforms" related to long working hours, competition-centric education, and housing problems.

Lee attributes policy failures to various factors, including mistimed interventions, outdated policy paradigms, and a concentration of power in the hands of the president and economic bureaucrats. He also points to weaknesses in party politics and a constrained civil society as contributing elements. The book aims to guide readers on how specific policies directly impact their lives, serving as essential reading for newly elected local government officials and citizens who aspire to be more than just recipients of policies, but active monitors and checks on policymakers.

Even if you have a child, life does not collapse.

— Moon Jae-in administration policy directionDescribing the aim of policies during the previous administration.

The book is structured to provide a clear understanding of policy dynamics, moving from the abstract to the concrete. It encourages readers to engage critically with government initiatives and to understand the underlying forces that shape them. By examining past mistakes, Lee hopes to empower citizens to demand more effective and equitable policies in the future.

Structural reforms

— Lee Chang-gonIdentifying the key reforms that were not fully implemented.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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