Professor Shin Hyun-ki from the Department of Public Administration Publishes Korean Translation of "Good Government, Politicians, and Bureaucrats"

 Professor Shin Hyun-ki from the Department of Public Administration at CUK has translated the book "Politicians, Bureaucrats, and the Making of Good Government" (original title: Organizing Leviathan) by Carl Dahlström and Victor Lapuente into Korean. CUK Friends conducted an interviewed with Professor Shin to discuss the book.  

○ Please introduce yourself briefly.

- Hello. I'm Shin Hyun-ki, a professor in the Department of Public Administration at The Catholic University of Korea since 2017. I teach undergraduate courses in media policy, social policy theory, and strategic planning methodology.

○ What motivated you to translate this book?

- Public administration is a modern discipline that emerged from the historical process of creating good government. After Korea's democratization in 1987, most attention was focused on political achievements, but less attention was paid to administrative aspects. Therefore, I wanted to make public administration more accessible by translating this book so that CUK students and others could approach the subject more easily.

 Writing my own book would have been ideal, but since a scholar in Sweden had already researched this topic extensively, I decided to translate this particular book. The title "Organizing Leviathan" is also intriguing. "Leviathan" is the title of a book written by Thomas Hobbes, which explores the legitimacy and origins of state power. This book focuses on how state power is organized, particularly from an administrative perspective, which is why I found it fitting to translate.

○ In the book, it emphasizes that the key factor determining the capacity of state institutions is the separation of politics and administration. How do you think this applies to our society today?

- The separation of politics and administration is clearly stated in our Constitution, specifically in Article 7, which ensures the political neutrality of public officials. In the past, after the establishment of modern states, as party politics rose, election winners often monopolized official positions, leading to a decline in administrative professionalism. In the 19th century, Western countries saw a movement to "appoint public officials based on merit" to address issues of incompetence and corruption caused by political appointments. This movement led to the separation of politics and administration and the introduction of a system to select public officials through exams. In other words, a merit-based bureaucracy was established.

 By selecting public officials based on merit, they gained autonomy in managing national administration without being swayed by politicians.  This allowed politicians and public officials to balance and check each other, which was one of the most important institutional innovations in modern state formation. 

 In Korea, since democratization, the frequent changes in executive power have resulted in civil servants often being influenced by politicians. For example, during an authoritarian government, civil servants were loyal to the dictator because the dictator had complete control over the administration. However, after democratization, with periodic changes in executive power, the newly ruling political powers attempted to replace high-ranking officials with those loyal to them, leading to efforts to control the bureaucracy. This is known as the politicization of the administrative bureaucracy, and I believe it is becoming a serious issue. This book provides many insights into why it is essential to separate the interests of politicians and bureaucrats, which is relevant to Korean society.

○ Who would you recommend this book to?

- Since humanity formed communities, having a good government has been a long-standing aspiration. Political ideologies such as democracy and republicanism are related to thoughts on how to create a good government and what its key elements are. While this usually focuses on the qualities of rulers, institutionally, it's also important to separate the interests of politicians and bureaucrats so they can check and balance each other. This book covers these topics, so students interested in contemplating good government would benefit from reading it.

○ What is your perspective on the definition of a “good government”?

- I believe that modern governments were born from two major historical events: the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. The French Revolution instilled the idea that good government reflects the "will of the people" in national policies, while the Industrial Revolution led to the idea that good government must also be "efficient," capable of solving problems that arise from rapid social changes.

 In other words, good government can be defined as one that possesses both “democratic legitimacy” and “problem-solving ability.” The recent global rise of populism and fascination with technocratic governments stems from the current dissatisfaction with governments that are seen as neither reflecting the will of the people nor solving contemporary problems effectively. Essentially, people believe today's governments are not good governments. 

○ Lastly, is there anything you would like to share with our students?

- First of all, I find meaning in being able to share what I couldn't say in class through this book. I encourage students to borrow the book from the library and give it a read. Public administration, as a modern discipline, reflects thoughts on what constitutes good government since the formation of modern states.

 Governments play a crucial role in shaping the world in the direction we want because they formulate and implement policies that affect our daily lives. By taking an interest in government, you'll naturally develop an interest in public administration. Going forward, the Department of Public Administration aims to offer more books and lectures on good government to engage students in meaningful discussions. I look forward to your interest and support.

“Politicians, Bureaucrats, and the Making of Good Government” translated by Professor Shin Hyun-ki is also available for borrowing from the central library of CUK. We suggest that students who are interested in the subject of “establishing a competent and fair bureaucracy” read this book.

● Written/Photographed by: External Affairs Team, CUK Friends Kwon Minje and Kim Isu