NARS to Host APFPRS for Inter-Parliamentary Networking in May

‘Approximately 40 people from about 20 nations are expected to attend the inaugural meeting of APFPRS’

The National Assembly Research Service (NARS) will host the Asia-Pacific Forum for Parliamentary Research Services (APFPRS) in May in Seoul to inaugurate a network for inter-parliamentary cooperation and information exchange, an equivalent to the European Center for Parliamentary Research & Documentation (ECPRD).
NARS Director Lim Jong-hoon said, “Approximately 40 people from about 20 nations are expected to attend the inaugural meeting of the APFPRS to discuss the pending issues and challenges facing parliamentary research services and promote inter-parliamentary cooperation and information.”
“Delegates from the ECPRD will be invited and the inaugural session of the APFPRS will deal with the establishment of a network of inter-parliamentary cooperation and information exchange,” Lim said.
NARS, which was founded in 2009 to meet the legislative needs of the National Assembly, runs as an independence agency of the parliament, much as the U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS) does, Lim said. One of NARS’s primary jobs involves addressing requests from members or committees of the National Assembly by undertaking research and analysis. Figures released by NARS showed that the representatives made a combined 4,789 requests during 2009 and got 4,717 answers at a rate of 98.5 percent.
In an effort to enhance the satisfaction of processing legislative requests and enhance expertise, the processing time for legislative requests, which normally takes about 10 days, will be reduced to less than a week while a peer review system and assistance from the survey analysis support team comprising outside experts will be expanded, he said.
NARS also proactively conducts research and examination into current and potential legislation and policies and publishes reports and newsletters on their outcomes. The agency has recently issued reports on such pending issues as Korea’s aging society, immigration policies and the animation industry. Lim said his organization aims at publishing 30 issue & opinion newsletters, at least 100 reports on current issues, 12 policy reports and 12 field surveys during this year. It plans to issue periodicals updating major repeated policies and issues, including responses to the North Korea nuclear issue and policies on university entrance examinations and real estate.
NARS is manned by approximately 100 staff members including 40 researchers with doctoral degrees, but the problem facing personnel management is that the doctoral degree holders get their tenure renewed on a three-year term contract system, not a long-term career basis.
Lim said NARS is all out about an ambitious long-term plan to establish itself as a top-tier comprehensive policy analysis think tank, unlike field-specific institutions, such as the Korea Development Institute.
To this end, he said, NARS is initially seeking to change their employment status from a contract basis to a long-term career one in order to ensure the job security of researchers proven to be excellent. Lim said his organization plans to double the number of research staff, noting that the U.S. CRS boasts a 720-member staff.
NARS is striving to build the National Assembly’s own and exclusive knowledge information system dealing with major national policies during this year.
Here is the gist of this year’s priority research and analysis tasks NARS plans to implement:

The Politics and Administration Research Office will deal with the outcomes of local elections and institutional reform as well as the revamping of disaster management systems, while the Economy and Industry Research Office will work on policies responding to the low birth rate and aging society, the effects of the financial markets, the food industry, housing industry and traffic. The two offices will team up to explore tasks on the G-20 Summit, scheduled to be held in Korea in the latter half of this year.
The Society and Culture Research Office will address policies on the normalization of public education, future vision of a ubiquitous society, the enhancing of social trust and climate change & green growth. nw

National Assembly Research Service Director Lim Jong-hoon

NARS Director Lim speaks at a party celebrating the 5,000th legislative request by the members of the National Assembly on Aug. 14, 2008.