Collaborative Governance in Welfare Service Delivery: Focusing on Local Welfare System in Korea

There has been a need to expand the organizational linkage of local governments to the nongovernmental sector. This need for expansion has arisen in response to increasing demand for local welfare services, and the linkage of welfare to public health services for local clients. Using a case study on collaborative governance for the local welfare system, the government-mandated “Community Welfare Council,” this paper explores the council itself and cross-sectoral collaboration for local welfare planning and service provision, and provides implications for the essence of collaborative governance. Despite engaging a wide range of organizations across sectors, the council has faced such challenges as lack of representativeness and elusive cross-sectoral collaboration. These challenges undermine voluntary collaboration because the council is driven by government mandate. Independent private coordinators have not yet been significant in facilitating collaboration. Rather, councils with joint chairs from the public and private sectors have facilitated greater cross-sectoral collaboration. Unless cross-sectoral collaboration incorporates practical subdivisions serving target groups, receives increased operational funding, includes private participants representative of welfare and public health services, and receives willingness of local government, collaborative governance may result in increased transaction costs and governance failure.