From imitation to creation: Public organization research in korea, 1967-1996

This paper reviews public organization research in Korea conducted during the last five years. To frame the discussion, earlier research is also reviewed, and a direction for future research is suggested. The major characteristics of past research are summarized as "apolitical," in the sense that it simply introduced positivist theories from the United States and ignored the relationship between public organization problems and authoritarian governments in Korea. This "apolitical" orientation produced two major issues: questioning the relevancy of the research and "Koreanization" of the U.S. theories. The "apolitical" trend continues in recent research, as do the issues. The paper suggests a "political" approach as an antithesis to an "apolitical" one for the direction of future research in Korea.