한국 정부가 정부출연연구기관을 관리․지원하는 기관으로 연구회를 설립한 지 10여 년이 지났다. 연구회는 그 목적을 효과적으로 달성하고 있는지, 한국의 정책연구기관 운영체제는 제대로 작동하고 있는지에 대한 정책적 관심이 증대되고 있다. 이에 따라 본 연구는 한국과 미국․영국․독일․일본 등 5개 국가의 정책연구기관 운영체제에 관한 국제비교연구를 수행하였다.
연구를 통해 도출된 정책적 시사점은 다음과 같다. 첫째, 연구결과의 객관성과 공정성을 생명으로 하는 정책연구기관은 정부부처로부터의 독립성 확보가 필수불가결하다. 영국의 홀데인 원칙(Haldane principle)이나 독일의 하르나크 원칙(Harnack principle)이 그 예이다. 둘째, 정책연구기관 운영체제는 각국의 실정과 특성을 고려하여 설계되고 운영되어야 한다. 셋째, 정책연구기관 운영에 있어서 여러 주체들 간의 협력을 강조하고 있다. 넷째, 정책연구기관의 자율성이 확대되고 정부 재정 지원이 증가함에 따라 그 책임성을 담보할 수 있는 노력이 뒤따라야 한다. 이를 위해 평가 및 성과관리를 강조하고, 국가적 정책 수요에 따라 연구기관의 설립과 통·폐합을 유연하게 추진하고 있다.
More than ten years have passed since the National research council(NRC) was established with the purpose of systematically administrating government funded research institutes in Korea. Questions have continuously been raised whether the NRC is effectively achieving its purpose and the operating system of the policy research institutes is properly working or not. In this paper, an international comparative study among the five countries, Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan had been conducted. The policy implications of the result of study are as follows. First, it is indispensible for the policy research institutes which emphasize the objectivity and fairness of the results of a study to become independent from government departments. The Haldane principle and the Harnack principle would be a good example. Second, the operating system of the policy research institutes must be conducted and operated under the state and nature of each country. Third, cooperation and collaboration among the operating system of the policy research institutes are emphasized. Fourth, in line with the expansion of autonomy and increase of government financial support, hard work must be endeavored to secure the responsibility. Commonly, evaluation or performance management is stressed, and the establishments, merger and abolition, based on the policy demand by research institutes is flexibly pushed ahead.
More than ten years have passed since the National research council(NRC) was established with the purpose of systematically administrating government funded research institutes in Korea. Questions have continuously been raised whether the NRC is effectively achieving its purpose and the operating system of the policy research institutes is properly working or not. In this paper, an international comparative study among the five countries, Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan had been conducted. The policy implications of the result of study are as follows. First, it is indispensible for the policy research institutes which emphasize the objectivity and fairness of the results of a study to become independent from government departments. The Haldane principle and the Harnack principle would be a good example. Second, the operating system of the policy research institutes must be conducted and operated under the state and nature of each country. Third, cooperation and collaboration among the operating system of the policy research institutes are emphasized. Fourth, in line with the expansion of autonomy and increase of government financial support, hard work must be endeavored to secure the responsibility. Commonly, evaluation or performance management is stressed, and the establishments, merger and abolition, based on the policy demand by research institutes is flexibly pushed ahead.
