While governments' social problem solving capabilities are gradually diminishing due to the complexity of social problems and the specialization of civil society, other members of society such as citizens, civil society... [ view full abstract ]
While governments' social problem solving capabilities are gradually diminishing due to the complexity of social problems and the specialization of civil society, other members of society such as citizens, civil society organizations, and private corporations have been intensifying their capabilities of solving social problems. Moreover, in the process of solving so-called wicked problems that are difficult or impossible to solve only by government agencies or government organizations, the importance of network among central government, local governments, civil society organizations, enterprises, and citizens is highly increasing (Agranoff and McGuire, 2003). The phenomenon indicates that the relations among central government, local governments, and citizens, in reality, shows the features of 'polycentricity' (Harmon and Mayer, 1986). In this regard, the concept of 'collaborative governance' is widely used to explain the way of solving social problems based on the collaboration of different stakeholders in government and civil society. Similarly, Ansell and Gash (2007: 544) defined collaborative governance as ‘a governing arrangement where one or more public agencies directly engage non-state stakeholders in a collective decision-making process that is formal, consensus-oriented, and deliberative and that aims to make or implement public policy or manage public programs or assets’.
This paper discusses how to enhance the collaboration between governments and local communities in solving the social problem of communicable diseases spread. In doing so, this paper analyzes the case of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) crisis in South Korea based on the theoretical literatures and empirical studies focusing on the effects of relational factors (the balance of resources and authorities), organizational factors (leadership, institutions, independent organizations, budget), and environmental factors (transaction costs, external effects, mutual interests). In the case of MERS crisis in South Korea, these factors were not satisfied because of several reasons including secrecy, asymmetric information, absence of control tower, failure of reaction system, and distinctiveness of South Korean society. As a result, the country suffered due to the lack of cooperation among main agents and the failure of initial response to the MERS outbreak. The MERS crisis in South Korea is not only a medical phenomenon but also a social phenomenon since the communicable disease affected Korean citizen's life in many perspectives. This is the reason why we need to keep a close eye on the current crisis as a case study in public administration and social sciences. This paper has important policy implications by suggesting some theoretical and practical ideas of collaborative governance to cope with similar social problems in the future.
