A Study on Linkage of Policies Responding to Low Fertility between Central and Local Governments

Abstract

The main purposes of this study are to examine polices responding to low fertility icluding policy contents, budget, and delivery system in both central and lacol govermenmts, and to provide policy recommendations to enhance the ploicy connection bewteen central and lacol govermenmt in Korea. For the purposes, this study examines government documents presenting policy contents by policy subject including policy supports for marriage, pregnancy, delivery, childcare, public relations, and others, and conducts interviews with welfare and health offcicers at both central and local goverments. The results of the anslyses present that the roles in the policy implementation of central and local governments and the poicy linkages responding to low fertility are different by policy subjects. For instances, in implementation of policieis for pregnancy, delivery, and childcare, the central government takes on the role to make policy planning and to establish budget at a macro level, while local governments play the role to put across government policies extending the range of benefit recipients. For the policies regarding marriage and public relations, however, local governments play leading role in the plocy implementation utilzing their policy resources at local levels. This study suggests various policy recommendations to improve the ploicy connection bewteen central and lacol govermenmt in order to increase the policy effectiveness. It is required to build a cooperative system from the stages of formulation of new policies, and to enhance the function of municipalities in order to reflect regional features.