The aim of this study is to analyze demands for, and use patterns of, basic services and their supplies, and subsequently, to establish rural services standard in order to warrant socially acceptable level for ‘quality of life’, in basic settlement areas.
Services standard are minimum number of basic services, and their quantities and qualities, necessary for any residents to enjoy certain acceptable level for quality of life in their day-to-day life. The government therefore must establish and implement nation-wide services standard.
Major questions to be addressed in this study are (i) “which basic services do basic settlement area residents want?”, (ii) “how much basic services are being supplied?”, (iii) “how do basic settlement area residents utilize these basic services?”, (iv) “what are rural services standard and why are they needed?”, (v) “which principle(s) should be observed in establishing rural services standard in terms of types of standard and their contents?”, and (vi) “how should rural services standard be introduced and implemented?”.
In addressing these questions, various research methods of literature review, examination of domestic and international policy measures, questionnaire survey and interviews and field surveys, and a series of policy workshops are utilized. Especially the analytical method of AHP is applied in order to prioritize rural services standard and the fitness of resulting standard is tested in order to enhance their precision level.
In sum, 30 services standard in 8 groups are suggested for basic settlement areas. The core services standard is found to be those for emergency service, basic medical treatment service, mobile medical service, welfare service for the elderly, children’s welfare, and educational service (especially school conditions).
In order to effectively implement rural services standard, it is essential to legislate services standard as a part of ‘Special Act for the Improvement in Quality of Life’ and to install the so-called ‘Committee for Rural Services Standard’ and ‘Support Group for Rural Services Standard Monitoring’ within the Prime Minister’s ‘Committee for the Improvement in Quality of Life’.