Democracies without Mass Parties: The Case of South Korea

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K20046
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 80010:Area studies-related
• Research Institution: Meiji University
• Principal Investigator: NAWAKURA AKIO 明治大学, 研究・知財戦略機構(駿河台), 研究推進員 (60806587)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 韓国 / 政党政治 / 利益団体

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study surveyed poliical parties' role and capacity to represent public opinion in South Korea, particularly focusing on the relations with political parties and interest groups. Literature review in archives in South Korea and Japan and interview in South Korea were employed as the methods of the research. The result of the study revealed that the major political parties in South Korea have limited capacity and willingness to responed to the demand by interest groups because the parties have safe-seats constituencies based on the nation's regionalism. On the other hand, however, also the interest groups in South Korea operate pressure aciivities based on the influence of regionalism. As a result, the interest groups in South Korea have achieved some of their goals in pressure activities.

Free Research Field

政治学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、英米のように理念や階級を政党間のクリーヴィッジとせず、地域間の利害対立を政党間の主たるクリーヴィッジとする韓国のような民主主義国家においても、利益団体と政党の間には一定の利益伝達関係が形成され、利益団体を通じて表出される世論が政党によって達成されえることを示した。