A Historical New Institutionalism Analysis of the Evolution of the Master Plan for Immigration Policy

This study analyzes the the process of change in the Master Plan For Immigration Policy from the 1st to the 4th, by using an analytical framework of Historical New Institutionalism. By utilizing the historical new institutionalism, the process of policy change was analyzed by dividing into structural, institutional, and actor levels, integrating macro and micro perspectives. At the structural level, this paper analyzed how the social and political environment influenced policy formulation in context, organized the process of policy legislation at the institutional level, and at the actor level, analyzed how policy makers played a role in policy formulation. In addition, the types of institutional change were classified by organizing the policy change process for each key task shown in the Master Plan for Immigration policy plan. As a result of the analysis, social and environmental factors influenced policy establishment, and in this process, policy establishment showed a strong nature of follow-up measures. Analyzing the role of actors, it was found that in the process of establishing policies led by the government, foreigners' positions as policy beneficiaries were insufficient to be reflected. Through the analysis of the type of institutional change, it can be seen that path dependence appears in the process of policy change of the Master Plan For Immigration Policy, mainly in the form of addition or relocation of some elements from the initially established policy.