• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.237-247
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness and efficiency of social security benefits to poverty alleviation. To this end, this study analyzed the poverty alleviation effect of public pension, basic pension, child-rearing allowance, disability allowance, basic living security subsidy, EITC, and other government subsidies using 2019 Household Financial Welfare Survey. The analysis results are as follows. First, social security benefits lowered the poverty rate by 6.8%p. Second, in terms of the poverty gap reduction effect, the public pension for the elderly male households, the basic pension for the elderly female householder, and the basic guarantee for the working female householder contributed the most. Finally, in terms of poverty alleviation efficiency, about 33% of social security benefits contribute to narrowing the poverty gap. Social security benefits for female heads of households were found to serve as a function of alleviating poverty gap and for male heads of households to supplement household income. Based on these results, this study suggested the discovery of various poverty states, expansion of basic security for the female elderly, and the connection between the purpose of social security benefits and key targets.

• 한국노년학
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.801-821
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• 2020

There are a number of prior studies on the poverty experience of Korean women, but little is known about the poverty experience of Korean elderly women in the U.S. The purpose of this study is to examine the poverty experiences of Korean elderly women who immigrated to the U. S. Qualitative case study methods were used to achieve these research objectives. Three Korean elderly women living in Oakland of California who received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from the U.S. federal government were included in the study. The data were collected by conducting a total of six meetings per participant, and the researcher read the consent form directly to the participants and obtained a hand-written signature. The analysis and interpretation began by repeating the interview transcript several times, and the repeated keywords were to be understood in the context, focusing on time, space, and relationships with other people. The contextual understanding of Korean elderly women's experiences in poverty was interpreted in three dimensions: extending poverty in their mother country, double torture as female immigrants, and limiting labor due to aging and diseases. Before moving to the U.S., they had a difficult livelihood by farming and one of them had to live in poverty due to the bereavement to her husband. But even after moving to the U.S., they have continued to live in poverty. As female immigrants with low education and no special skills, they were incorporated into the periphery of the labor market in the industrialized U.S. and were forced to make a living with low wages. Korean elderly women were unable to return to the labor market in the surrounding areas due to aging and diseases, and were continuing their impoverished lives relying on SSI. From the findings, we discussed the role of the Korean immigrants community as a way to improve the quality of life for Korean elderly women in the U.S.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.209-232
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• 2017

This study proposes supplemental security income programs for the elderly to reduce the serious elderly poverty in Korea. The experiences of the supplemental security income programs for the elderly among the developed countries were investigated. Based on this, the Korean supplemental security income models were proposed, and the effects of the programs on the poverty, inequality, and finance were analysed. The results suggest the following implications. First, the supplemental security income programs cover a sizable portion of the elderly in Korea, and reduce substantially the poverty and inequality problems among the elderly. Second, the supplemental security income programs are efficient compared to the increase of the basic pension. Third, the effects were varied among the combinations of the basic pension models and the supplemental security income models. Therefore Korea needs to introduce an adequate policy mix consisting of basic income and supplemental security income programs so as to construct solid basic income security systems for the elderly.

• The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.741-762
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• 2015

This study examines the long-term prospects for a minimum living guarantee by public pensions for the elderly using a dynamic micro-simulation model. "Elderly poverty" here is an estimate calculated by considering only the public pension income and it means how public pension affects the minimum living guarantee for the elderly. The main results are: First the impact of the public pension system on elderly poverty can be decomposed into economic growth and institutional effect. When considering both effects, the absolute poverty rate of the elderly will be reduced to 20% by the year 2040. But when considering the institutional effect(except economic growth effect), that rate is expected to be a long-term level of around 90%. Second, even if the Basic Pension is indexed to 10% of A-value, the elderly poverty rate is only about 10%p to be reduced further, compared to the current CPI-indexed system. Third, current benefit formula for National Pension does not consider the actual correlation of income level and insured period; consequently, the reversal possibility of the replacement rate appears likely. Fourth, the reform of 2007 improves the sustainability of the National Pension; however, it deteriorates the adequacy of the pension policy, i.e., the past system would be better than the current system in regards to a reduction in elderly poverty. Further discussion is needed on aspects of correct pension reform assessments which is difficult to achieve without understanding the comprehensive benefits and costs to society.

• 한국노년학
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.1041-1061
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• 2012

The study looked into the effect of housing poverty on the depression level for the elderly in depth. In this study, we defined housing poverty as sub-minimum standard housing conditions, excess housing expenditure and housing instability. In order to verify the correlation of two variables, a mediating model structured by social welfare service was used which gave out the 4th Korea welfare panel data. When it came to our research methods, structured equation analysis was applied to verify the mediating effect and theoretical background. The results revealed that housing poverty of the elderly directly affected their depression level. Also the satisfaction of social service showed a partial mediating effect between housing poverty and depression level. But the mediating effect of social service experience between housing poverty and depression level was not statistically significant. The outcome of this study indicated the practical and social intervention to promote a mental health of the elderly by improving residential environment.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.85-111
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• 2011

This study has the purpose to measure the multidimensional poverty in Korea by the counting approach which was theorized by Alkire and Foster to overcome problems of unidimensional approach, union method and intersection method for the identification of the multidimensional poor. By the counting approach applying to Welfare Panel in Korea during 2006-2008, the head-count ratio of the multidimensional poverty was measured. When 3 dimensions are applied as a dimension poverty line, the multidimensional poverty rate was 20% in 2008. It was due to broad deprivations in assets, social securities, income and health. Vulnerable classes such as single parent families, low-education level group, the aged, economically non-active population were among the severe poverty rates, which were reaching around 50%. The analysis reveals the possible alternative to change the present public assistance program to the robust approach of multidimensional poverty measurement, the counting approach. Social policies to reduce poverty in Korea would gain expected positive outcome with the various approaches based on the concepts of multidimensional poverty.

• 한국노년학
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.653-672
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• 2011

The present study empirically confirmed Korean elder's four major pains consisted of poverty, disease, role loss, loneliness and investigated the mediating role of depression between the four major pains and the elder's suicidal thought. To investigate the cause and effect of factors, we conveniently collected 309 samples from 16 Gyungrodangs evenly located in Jeonju and 291 samples, survived the data cleaning such as missing values, outliers, normality and covariance conditions, were analyzed by frequency, factor analysis, reliability, confirmatory factor analysis and structural model analysis. Followed were the selected contributions of the present study. First, the constructs of four major pains such as poverty, disease, role loss, loneliness were predictors of suicidal thought mediated by depression. Second, the elder's poverty, that was the heaviest factor of the four major pain constructs, was a predictor of role loss leading to loneliness. Third, four major pains were predictors of the elder's depression. Note that poverty were not direct but indirect predictor of depression. The present study confirmed the concept of four major pains. Also those who practice in the area of the elderly care should consider the four major pains as well as depression while intervening in the elderly's suicidal thought.

• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.895-910
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• 2010

This study examined the mediating effect of social isolation on the life satisfaction among lowincome older adults. The purpose of this study was to find out isolated older adults' social isolation rate and mediating effect of sense of community by community dwelling older adults with loweconomic status. This study used the Gijang Welfare Network study(2009). The sample consisted 256 older adults 65 and older residing in Busan(Gijang). As statistical method, correlation analysis and structural equation model used in this paper. The results of this study suggested some practical implications in reducing social isolation for older adults with low economic status. We need to emphasize social relations and social participations as well as outreach program for high-risk elderly of social isolation. In addition, Findings suggested that community based interventions should be provided to protect older people, especially poor elderly from social isolation.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.49-64
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• 2022

This study aims to investigate unmet healthcare needs due to economic or non-economic difficulties among the elderly aged 65 or older. Using Korea Health Panel Survey (KHPS) data from 2018, the elderly are classified into one of four groups (health insurance subscribers, non-take-up, lower income relief, and medical aid recipients) based on their level of medical vulnerability. For hospital or dental care, the prevalence rates of unmet healthcare needs due to economic and non-economic difficulties are 12.6% and 10.6%, respectively. The prevalence rate of unmet healthcare needs due to economic difficulty in the medically vulnerable group was much higher than that of the non-vulnerable group-that is, health insurance subscribers. After controlling for other influential factors, medical vulnerability has a great impact on the prevalence rates of unmet healthcare needs due to economic difficulties. Compared to health insurance subscribers, the non-take-up, the lower relief, and the medical aid recipients are 1.4 times, 3.3 times, and 2.4 times more likely to experience unmet healthcare needs due to economic difficulty, respectively. The results of this study can provide important policy implications for securing essential healthcare resources for the elderly.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.57-68
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• 1992

1970년대 이래로 노인들의 평균적인 경제상태가 향상되어 왔지만, 상당한 수의 노인들이 여전히 빈곤할 뿐만 아니라 노인들 각자가 경험하는 경제복지는 다르다. 본 연구는 노인들이 경험하는 경제복지를 조사하고 이를 바탕으로 상이한 노인가계들간의 복지상태를 비교하였다. 경제복지는 주거비가 차지하는 가계소득에 대한 비로 측정하였다. 노인가계는 노부부가계, 노인남성가계, 노인여성가계로 구분하였다. 미국의 3,449 노인가계들이 연구분석에 사용되었다. 노인가계들간의 경제복지를 비교하기 위해 다중회귀분석이 사용되어졌다. 분석결과에 의하면 상이한 노인가계들간에 경제복지는 상당한 차이가 있었다. 특히 노인여성인 경우 경제복지가 가장 낮은 것으로 나타났다.