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영어

The local area is emerging as an essential economic unit while its role and importance are highlighted, whereas the central government's role is being reduced due to both the localization and the globalization of the economy. With this trend of new regionalism, the wide-area development strategy of economic development coupled with local political changes, such as decentralized national development structure, is emerging on a worldwide scale. Case studies of local governance system in Korea and foreign countries show three tendencies. Firstly, decentralization of government has advanced and attention on governance has increased. Especially, inter-governmental relationships and decentralization have spread widely, and multi dimensional governance is actively discussed nowadays. Secondly, changes have been made in inter-governmental relationships such that the trend in developmental strategy is to shift decision-making to localities. Progress in decentralization has transformed central-local government relationships and also gradually changed the goals, means, and bodies of local of a full-charge organization's role for local development. As recent local-development plans show selective and strategic characteristics in policy goal, subject, and form of execution, central governments are preparing and operating their organizations. Thirdly, there is a strategic importance for local development and the strengthening the governance system for local development has various forms according to the characteristics of the nation's political, administrative structure, and horizontal cooperative culture.