Which local self-governments seek more collaboration? Evidence from interlocal collaboration for economic development in South Korea

Existing studies on interlocal collaboration have focused on whether or not to form collaboration. However, we examine the extent to which local governments collaborate with each other. We measure collaboration by the number of partnering local governments in different partnerships, and test hypotheses on the potential factors affecting the degree of collaboration among local governments from a resource-based view. With a sample of 70 partnerships established for local economic development among 116 local governments in South Korea, we find that local governments with less financial resources and private sector capacity are likely to establish more collaborative partnerships. By contrast, local governments with more human resources are likely to build more partnerships with others.