논문

The purpose of this study is to examine closely the impacts of group conflict on
public policy. The object of this study is the case of construction of a garbage
incinerator in Goon Po City. The methods used for this study are book―review,
quasi―participant observation and in―depth interview.

According to the results of this study, group conflicts have both positive and
negative impacts simultaneously on public policy.

The positive impacts of group conflict on public policy usually appear from the
process of discussing and correcting the problems and errors mentioned in the
process of drawing out a mutual agreement. The positive impacts are i)the
democratization of policy process ii)the improvement of policy quality iii)the
offering of opportunities for the mutual understanding of various groups and etc.

The negative impacts of group conflict on public policy appear when the conflicts
between groups are not controlled moderately, and when the level and strength
of the conflicts are too high. The negative impacts are i)the decrease of
community spirit ii)the increase of policy cost iii)the lose of policy consistency
and delay of public policy iv)the incurring of people's distrust about the
policy―making capacity of local council.