Does Civic Engagement Resolve Accountability Dilemmas in Local Governance?

While much of the public administration literature has highlighted the critical role of
civic engagement in local governance, few have studied the way by which civic engagement
resolves dilemmas derived from conflicts between performance and procedure accountability.
Following the arguments provided by Denhardt (2011) and Kerwin (2003), this research aims to
identify the way to reduce accountability dilemmas by using the 2010 Korean survey conducted
for public administrators and citizens engaged in local governance. Results indicate that civic
engagement in decision-making processes can have a positive impact on holding public
administrators accountable for both procedure and performance. Findings specifically indicate
that civic engagement can encourage administrators to identify local problems as well as citizens’
needs and preferences. In addition, both citizen representatives and public officials positively
perceive the effect of civic engagement on performance and procedure accountability, implying
that building consensus on local issues between citizens and public officials through civic
engagement can reduce conflict between efficiency and democratic values.