The Korean welfare state is facing three megatrends: technological change, demographic change, and climate change. This study analyzes whether and how these three factors individually and collectively reinforce or alleviate existing new and old ‘social risks’ and whether they may lead to new types of social risks. The concept of social risks was reviewed, and the current state of the Korean welfare state was examined. In the main body, each chapter analyzed how each change affects old and new social risks and contributes to forming new types of social risks, referred to as third-generation social risks. Finally, the study explored how these three changes interact or mediate one another to impact social risks. Through this analysis, six emerging types of third-generation social risks were identified.
This study analyzes the characteristics of changes in central government spending on social security from 2007 to 2024. To do so, we built a social security fiscal database and analyzed the distribution of social security expenditures by target, benefit type, and age group. We also compared the changes in fiscal expenditures with the changes in major social risks by age group to draw implications for improving future fiscal expenditures.
This study aims to analyze the organizational structure and workforce management of welfare administration in Korean metropolitan governments and explore policy implications for enhancing their autonomy and accountability. This study begins with highlighting key institutional issues. Second, we conduct a cross-sectional and time-series analysis of the budget, organizational structure, and workforce management in Korean metropolitan governments. Third, we qualitatively analyze data from interviews with metropolitan government officials to explore key issues in organizational structure and workforce management. Fourth, an empirical survey of public officials at both metropolitan and local government levels provides further insight into the state of welfare administration. Based on these findings, this study proposes three key strategies for improving metropolitan welfare administration.
This study aims to provide policy directions and initiatives to make Korea's healthcare system and policies more person- and consumer-centered. Our recommendations to achieve person- and consumer-centered healthcare system and policies include: 1) shifting paradigms in healthcare system and policies so that they become more person-oriented and person-centered, 2) creating conditions and foundations for shared decision-making in healthcare delivery and use, 3) strengthening consumer empowerment and participation, 4) establishing foundations and platforms to provide, share, and utilize health information and data, and 5) creating conditions for the active participation of healthcare providers.
The evolving demographic landscape necessitates a transformation in the structure of healthcare services required by our society. In particular, the demand for home-based healthcare and domiciliary medical services is rapidly increasing, as these services are essential for patients with mobility impairments. However, the current healthcare system in Korea lacks a comprehensive framework to adequately support and institutionalize these services. At present, various initiatives related to home-based healthcare and domiciliary medical services are being implemented in a fragmented and uncoordinated manner, without a unified strategic direction. Consequently, there is an urgent need to establish a systematic and integrated policy framework that can effectively accommodate the surging demand for such services. In response to this imperative, this study aims to analyze domestic efforts, examine international cases, and provide policy recommendations for the institutionalization of home-based healthcare and domiciliary medical services in Korea.
This study aims to project the distributional outcomes of social security, taking into account the performance of national health insurance. Using KIHASA Microsimulation model (‘KIHASA SIM’), we analyzed the redistributive effects of the national pension and health insurance systems.
The findings are as follows. First, The government's pension reform proposal, which increases both the contribution rate and the income replacement rate, with a relatively larger increase in the income replacement rate, is expected to worsen income redistribution.
Second, increasing efficiency of the public healthcare system is slightly more favorable to high-income earners, whereas enhancing equity is relatively more advantageous for low-income groups. However, the increase in net pension benefits resulting from improved equity in health insurance was slightly larger for high-income groups. This could be attributed to the lower pension receipt rates among low-income individuals or suggest that, superficial changes in cost-sharing and benefit design alone may have limited effects in redistribution if health disparities by income level are not mitigated at earlier stages of disease onset.
Third, efficiency of public health spending is a key factor influencing net benefits. Differences in efficiency between public and private expenditures act as a mediating factor in determining net benefits through the national healthcare system, thereby creating disparities across income groups. It is important to note that when both equity and efficiency are improved simultaneously, the total net benefits tend to increase, contributing significantly to reducing disparities.
This study aims to contribute to the OECD initiative for creating child-friendly neighbourhoods by collecting domestic data based on the concept and monitoring indicators of child-friendly neighbourhoods. It provides policy recommendations to improve the living environment faced by children and address the serious issues Korea faces concerning low birth rates and regional population decline. As policy alternatives, this study recommends: creating a child-friendly environment from a multidimensional perspective, developing local data to support the creation of child-friendly neighbourhoods, promoting the OECD Child-Friendly Neighbourhood pilot project, fostering international cooperation to establish an OECD Child-Friendly Neighbourhood monitoring system, and using spatial geographic information systems for data collection.
This study developed a simulation model for analyzing the effects of changes in National Basic Livelihood Security System. This study improved previous simulation models by applying the family support obligation rule and by considering potential non-take up behaviors. The model applied the NBLS rules on national representative survey data and artificially generated the NBLS take-up status and the amount of benefits. Take-up rates and poverty were calculated to evaluate the redistributive effects of changes in NBLS System. Several scenarios were simulated to assess the impacts of recently proposed NBLS reform plans. The results show that abolishing the family support obligation rule, raising the Standard Median Income, adjusting the concept of household, increasing the the cut-off line for an assessment of entitlement, expanding the earned income credit, relaxing the asset test rules enhance the generosity of NBLS System and reduce poverty.
This study examines the status of out-of-home care leavers discharged under the age of 18 and the policy support available for their independent living. It analyzes policy gaps and support measures for early-discharged youth, referencing cases from the UK, Germany, and the United States. A survey of child protection staff and qualitative interviews with young people preparing for independent living and professionals were conducted to assess needs among the early leavers. Based on the analysis, the study proposes an integrated support policy for early-discharged care leavers.
In response to the increasing number of individuals experiencing various mental health issues following disasters, the government has been enhancing and providing a system for disaster mental health support. However, throughout the stages of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, challenges have emerged, such as the duplication of services provided by multiple entities and communication breakdowns at the field level. As a result, there has been a consistent demand for improved collaboration and the establishment of well-defined roles in disaster mental health support. Therefore, this study aims to reflect on the experience of collaboration in disaster mental health support in Korea and identify ways to strengthen collaborative systems for future disaster preparedness and response at the mental health policy level.
