• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.19-29
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• 2016

This study analyzes life experiences and prospects of poverty/welfare exit of the poor with work ability utilizing Mixed methodology. Based on Sequential Exploratory Design, it qualitatively analyzes 3 waves of qualitative panel data linked to Korea Welfare Panel Study(KWPS) and presents life changes of 14 poor in the context of their prospects of welfare/poverty exit. Then it proposes hypotheses on the role of education, household economy expectation, self-esteem in the prospects of poverty/welfare exit following the sequential exploratory design to quantitatively test qualitative findings utilizing KWPS(7th). The outcomes of the Structural Equation Model(SEM) suggest that household economy expectation plays mediating role between education and the prospects of welfare/poverty exit. This implies that anti-poverty policy needs to consider a psychological approach to enhance household economy expectations of the poor as well as other material support.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.119-142
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to explore and describe of the reality of working poor in Korea. In spite of the increasing attention to the working poor, usual definitions of the working poor have some measurement questions. The definition of the working poor should focus on the key dimensions of work and poverty. This study defines working poor as all "persons who have devoted prior 6 months to working or looking for work and who lived in families with incomes below the poverty threshold". This study also defines poverty threshold based on the both concept of absolute and relative poverty. According to this definition, the working poor are almost equally divided between men and women and the majority of them are of prime working age. These characteristics of working poor are seems to be quite different from common sense. Also, serious deficiencies of human capital contribute to the employment problems of the working poor. Their education levels are much less than those of the working non-poor. The distributions of the employment status, occupation, and industry show also that the working poor are highly concentrated in a few low-wage jobs.