Environmental Protest and Policy Change in South Korea: A Research Overview

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Historical trajectory of environmental governance in South Korea, exploring the impact of environmental protests on policy changes. The research delves into the effects and aspects of environmental protests leading to significant policy transformations, with a focus on civic mobilization, determinants of policy change, and the dataset analysis using PEDAK.

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www.appam.org Sunhyuk Kim Dept of Public Administration, Korea Univ Seongeun Cho Institute of Governmental Studies, Korea Univ

Contents Introduction Theoretical Overview & Methodology Analysis: Environmental Protest and Policy Change C Conclusion

Introduction Historical trajectory toward a environmental governance in South Korea Rapid Economic Development Policy of growth-first, environmental degradation later Absence of attention to the environment Democratic Transition (1987) 1960s-80s Democratic Transition Relative attention to environmental issues. 1987 Environmental Governance (1990-) Environmental Governance Growth of environmental movement Rethinking of the developmental paradigm Considerable impact on policy, such as cancelling planned construction Since 1990

Introduction What effects did environmental protest have on the environmental policy? Which aspects of environmental protest led to environmental policy change? Research questions To explain the relationship between environmental protests and policy changes Aim of this research

Theoretical Overview & Methodology 1. Policy Change: A Theoretical Overview 1) Determinants of policy change Previous works This research have focused on institutional variables and policy entrepreneurs. focuses on general public and civic groups. however political and policy changes in Korea have been initiated and propelled by civic mobilization. .

Theoretical Overview & Methodology 1. Policy Change: A Theoretical Overview 2) Social protest as a determinant of policy change Previous works This research have been interested in the relationship between social protest and policy change focuses on different aspects of protest-scope, strategies and methods, the contents and number of demands/ grievances, and analyze their effects on policy change. however they have not yet reached a consensus on the specific contents of which variables affect policy change

Theoretical Overview & Methodology 2. The Dataset and Methodology 1) Dataset: PEDAK(Protest Event Data Archive Korea) PEDAK is a database based on protest events that took place and were reported in newspapers between 1988 and 2007 in Korea. PEDAK collects the following data by analyzing and coding newspaper reports on post-transitional popular protests. -Number of protests per year -General measures of protest activities -Sociovocational category of protest participants -Repertoires of contention -Types and contents of protest goals, demands, grievances -Reactions to protest actions

Theoretical Overview & Methodology 2. The Dataset and Methodology 2) Variables & Measurement Variables Measurement Dependent variable Policy change No policy change, Policy modified, Policy changed -Duration of protest -Number of protest participation Scope Type Violent, Nonviolent but disruptive, Nondisruptive Consistency/ Continuity Legality/ Illegality No change, Original methods combined with new ones, Original methods replaced by new ones Strategy Independent variables Legal(0), Illegal(1) Participants SociovocationBlue-collar working, Unspecified, White-collar working Economic, Political, Ecological , Economic/Political, Political/Ecological, Economic/Ecological, Economic/Political/Ecological Number Contents Demands

Analysis: Simple Correlational Coefficients Policy change Duration Number of Participants Violence Consistency/Continuity Illegality Sociovocational Categories Political Economic Political/Ecological Economic/Ecological .000 .025 -.059 .008 -.197** .153 .058 .007 -.159* -.192* Scope Strategy Participants Contents Demands/ Grievances Political/Economic/Ecological .100 Number .134 *p<0.1, **p<0.05, ***p<0.01

Analysis: Simple Correlational Coefficients DISCUSSION Illegality of protest : Negatively correlated with policy change Contents of demand : Political or economic demands to ecological demands seem to be counterproductive in bringing policy change. Protest Scope: Positively correlated with policy change. Violent protest: Negatively correlated with policy change.

Analysis: Multiple Regression Policy change B(S.E) .194(.822) -.105(.089) .036(.069) .785(.439) .109(.284) -1.278(.529)** Beta Constant Duration Number of Participants Violence Consistency/Continuity Illegality -.164 .062 .458 .047 -.613 Scope Strategy Participants Sociovocational Categories .366(.198)* .225 Political .125(.252) .068 Economic .109(.504) .027 Political/Ecological -1.455(.920) -.186 Demands/ Grievances Contents Economic/Ecological -1.311(.600)** -.328 Political/Economic/Ecological -.112(1.015) .705(.350)** -.014 .287 Number F-Value R2 1.733* 0.264

Analysis: Multiple Regression DISCUSSION R2of model is 26.4%, Significance level is 0.1. Statistically significant variables: -Legality/illegality of the protest strategies :Illegal protest strategies are less likely to lead to policy change. -Economic/ecological demands/grievances : Ecological demands combined with economic demands seems to decrease the likelihood of policy change. -The number of demands/grievances : As the number of protest demands increase, likelihood of policy change increases.

Conclusion & Implication Strategy Participants Demand/ Grievances Environmental policy change

Conclusion & Implication Conclusion Environmental policy change is significantly affected by protest strategies, demands/grievances, and not by protest scope. Implication It is not the objective/absolute size of resource mobilization but the subjective/relative usage of strategies and framing of demands/grievances that are far more closely correlated with policy change.