Policy analysis in quasi-governmental institutions in Korea

Public institutions are key agencies in the policy implementation stage that provide public goods and services. They are not strictly central or local subordinate agencies of the government but are subject to government oversight and control. It is not only because they are partially funded by the government but also because the policy outcomes they (semi-) monopolistically provide are crucial for the public. Oversight of the performance of public institutions requires the disclosure of information to the public, thereby improving accountability and performance. However, there are still issues to be resolved in the performance management of public institutions (Lah 2015). Due to the qualitative evaluation of some immeasurable aspects of performance, certain assessment metrics are highly subjective. As the grades finalised by the steering committee only rank public institutions on a relative scale, they do not fully capture the different characteristics and nature of services provided. The evaluations are also associated with substantial financial incentives, which makes public institutions prioritise measurable policy outcomes over the actual roles expected of them as quasi-governmental organisation, leading to inconsistent performance in the long run.