Applying the incrementalism model to the free school meals policy in Korea

The free school meals policy is considered an innovative and sensational policy that went through numerous controversial debates over the social welfare system during the regional election. The decision-making process for this innovative policy did not always go smoothly because support or consent from opponents was required to implement it. The purpose of this study is to understand the budget process of regional governments of Korea concerning innovative policies, based on the case of the free school meals policy. Since public opinion on the expansion of the free school meals policy to all students was formed after the regional election in 2010, discussions continued regarding when and to what extent the policy should be implemented. The incrementalism model, which values political compromise and mutual adjustment processes, among other budgeting theories, best explains these realities. The model is applied for this study, including base, incrementality, and division and mutual adjustment. The results of this analysis reveal that the budgeting process included political processes and compromise among interested parties. Second, the budget decisions of the Free School Meals Policy were made according to created consensus. This has once again proven that incrementalism is the common budget decision-making model of Korea’s municipal organizations.