Evaluating the Capacity of Plan-Making in Seoul Through Institutionalist Analysis

Abstract

The development of institutional capacity within a contemporary fragmented society has attracted interest from policy-makers and academics. This interest raises questions about the way in which the institutional capacity of a society creates a social base for more open and communicative plan-making. I argue that key elements of such capacity lie in the quality of governance, history, discourse and attitude. Some societies are developing collaboration among stakeholders, widening stakeholder involvement, building new discourses, and building rich social networks. Others do not show such practices. Using an institutionalist approach which provides the institutionalist perspective and framework, this study attempts to examine how social capital affects planning work in practice, and the potential to make a plan in a more democratic and communicative way. This study also seeks to explain how social capital can be fostered and built up in situations where it is underdeveloped. The result of this study suggests that the building of institutional capacity through plan-making practices is difficult to achieve without the establishment of localized governance, wiping out the authoritarian style of governance, and balancing power relations between plan-makers and participants. The thesis concludes that such an enterprise, that is, the creation of a social base for a more democratic and communicative plan-making practice is not easy in Seoul. It will take a long time.