Uncovering the Possibilities of Social Economy as Means for Redefining Community Welfare Regime: The Case of Former Mining Area in Korea

The former mining areas of Gangwon Province had undergone unprecedented industrial and community changes during last three decades. The former mining had to suffer radical transformation in its industrial structure from mining... [ view full abstract ]

The former mining areas of Gangwon Province had undergone unprecedented industrial and community changes during last three decades. The former mining had to suffer radical transformation in its industrial structure from mining to casino tourism. In face of the fundamental transformation of its industries and employment, the community people had to witness explosive social upheaval accompanying a rapid loss of its younger population, community disintegration, and dislocation of its employment and industries. 
As a model for developmental state maintaining a minimum level of community welfare for the mobilization of rapid industrialization, local communities were not able to develop their own ways of community protection. Poor welfare despite strong state dependency has long defined the nature of abandoned community and declining local cities. Centralized control of welfare provision and bureaucratic administration also subjugated the autonomy of local government in its efforts to search for different ways of community regeneration. In the face of weak local welfare and poor support by the central government, local people had long witnessed dramatic social upheaval and community crisis. They had to struggle with several alternative ways of local regeneration with the initiatives of local people and local economic actors. Social economy has recently emerged as one of the alternative ways of rebuilding community welfare and its moral economy in different ways. 
This paper attempts to have a reevaluation of community movements, development strategies and to examine the possibility of social economy as an alternative and viable social development model. Reflecting on the historical experiences of former mining areas, community revival was found to be a long way because it is not just another investment, but overcoming intangible obstacles and barriers including reconstruction of society itself. The search for alternative ways of community integration is a new pattern of welfare regime at the local level. The social experiments of former mining areas aiming for new ways of community regeneration may also shed some clues in understanding the possible harmony or conflict between different ways of community level welfare regime. The findings may provide us significant policy implications when we are thinking about East Asian style of community welfare in the context of post-developmental society.