Determinants of the Quality of Life in Two South Korean Cities: In the Context of Local Politics and Public Policies

• Published in: JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY POLITICS Vol. 18; no. 1; pp. 117 - 157
• Main Authors: Lee, Byung-Jae, Suh, Jaekwon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 현대정치연구소 30.04.2025
• Subjects: 정치외교학
• ISSN: 1976-9466; 2635-6015
• DOI: 10.52594/jcp.2025.04.18.1.117

This paper examines the determinants of the quality of life (QoL) in the context of local politics and public policies. Using the original survey data on two South Korean metropolitan cities, Busan and Incheon, we examine the direct and indirect effects of political ideology, territorial identities and voting history on the quality of life via public services provided by local governments. Our findings are as follows: 1) the ideological conservatives tend to have higher residential satisfaction (a proxy for QoL); 2) territorial identities about administrative levels (Dong, Gu/Gun, Si, country) have direct and indirect effects on residential satisfaction; however, 3) subsample analyses show that two lower-level territorial (Dong, Gu/Gun) identities have a more substantial effect than two upper-level territorial (Si, country) identities in Busan, while the effects of all the territorial identities are similar in Incheon; 4) the vote choice in the preceding election on the head of lower-level local government has a positive indirect effect only in Busan. In conclusion, we discuss practical and institutional implications of these findings for local politics and decentralization in South Korea: 1) the geographical proximity to Seoul can impede the formation of an autonomous local political realm; 2) the lower-level local government (Gu/Gun), long perceived as having secondary importance in local politics, can significantly affect residents’ quality of life through indirect effects via administrative public services. * 초록1 (원어) This paper examines the determinants of the quality of life (QoL) in the context of local politics and public policies. Using the original survey data on two South Korean metropolitan cities, Busan and Incheon, we examine the direct and indirect effects of political ideology, territorial identities and voting history on the quality of life via public services provided by local governments. Our findings are as follows: 1) the ideological conservatives tend to have higher residential satisfaction (a proxy for QoL); 2) territorial identities about administrative levels (Dong, Gu/Gun, Si, country) have direct and indirect effects on residential satisfaction; however, 3) subsample analyses show that two lower-level territorial (Dong, Gu/Gun) identities have a more substantial effect than two upper-level territorial (Si, country) identities in Busan, while the effects of all the territorial identities are similar in Incheon; 4) the vote choice in the preceding election on the head of lower-level local government has a positive indirect effect only in Busan. In conclusion, we discuss practical and institutional implications of these findings for local politics and decentralization in South Korea: 1) the geographical proximity to Seoul can impede the formation of an autonomous local political realm; 2) the lower-level local government (Gu/Gun), long perceived as having secondary importance in local politics, can significantly affect residents’ quality of life through indirect effects via administrative public services. 초록2 (타언어) KCI Citation Count: 0