Governance Ecosystems: Innovation, Institutional Design, and Policy Outcomes

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel is one of the guaranteed sessions for the Korean Association for Policy Studies (KAPS) based on the MOU between APPAM and KAPS.This panel examines the evolving relationship between institutional governance, technological innovation, and socio-economic stability. By synthesizing diverse research on Science and Technology (S&T) institutes, AI ecosystems, public safety networks, and welfare attitudes, the session explores how structural policies and organizational frameworks shape regional and global outcomes. The discussion focuses on the critical tension between state-led strategic initiatives and the practical limits of institutional accountability.The panel begins by interrogating the spatial and network-based drivers of innovation. One study evaluates the contribution of the "Gvagiwons" (South Korea’s Four Science and Technology Institutes) to regional growth, providing empirical evidence on how concentrated academic investment fuels local economic development. This is complemented by a comparative network analysis of global AI research hubs, which identifies the governing structures that sustain high-performing innovation ecosystems. Together, these papers illustrate how institutional design facilitates—or constrains—technological leadership and geographic equity.Transitioning from innovation to governance and public welfare, the session addresses the systemic dilemmas inherent in modern state functions. A comparative analysis of public safety networks in South Korea and the United States reveals the disparate institutional paths and governance challenges faced by nations when managing critical infrastructure. This inquiry into state capacity is further deepened by research into the "financialization of everyday life," which examines how individual economic exposure and policy proximity reshape public attitudes toward social insurance and welfare systems.Finally, the panel critiques the mechanisms of oversight through a study on mission-oriented R&D in Korea, questioning whether performance evaluations genuinely track policy intent or succumb to the structural limits of output accountability. Collectively, these papers argue that sustainable governance requires more than policy rhetoric; it demands an institutional architecture that balances innovation with social resilience. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of how the interplay of R&D investment, safety networks, and welfare perceptions determines a state’s long-term stability.

Policy Area

• Innovations in Science and Technology

Chair

• Hyung Jun Park, Sungkyunkwan University

Discussant

• Dohyeong Kim, University of Texas, Dallas

Organizer

• Dohyeong Kim, University of Texas, Dallas

Individual Presentations

• Do S&T university Contribute to Regional Innovation? Evidence from Korea’s Four Gwagiowns - Presenting Author: MINA JUNG, Yonsei University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Nam Wook Cho, Yonsei University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Sam Youl Lee, Yonsei University

• Governing AI Innovation Ecosystems: A Network-Based Comparative Analysis of Global AI Research Hubs - Presenting Author: Saebom Jin, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

• Governing Public Safety Networks: Institutional Paths and Governance Dilemmas in South Korea and the United States - Presenting Author: EUNKYUNG LEE, Seoul National University

• Reimagining Corrections: Variation in AI and Emerging Technology Adoption Across Correctional Systems - Presenting Author: Mijin Kim, Illinois State University

• Do Evaluations Follow Policy? Mission-Oriented R&D and the Limits of Output Accountability in Korea - Presenting Author: Hye Yeon Kwon, Korea Institute of Science and Technology