• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.60 no.4
• /
• pp.31-53
• /
• 2008

This study intends to verify the poverty characteristics of the rural elderly households so as to provide more specific data for the intervention of social welfare in the improvement of quality of life of the rural elderly. According to my study of the absolute poverty ratio, the poverty gap, the relative poverty ratio, the subjective poverty ratio, the subjective economic level and the life satisfaction level of the rural elderly households in comparison with those of the other groups, the conclusion is as follows: First, the total living cost of the rural elderly households is rather low with the food cost taking about 30% of the total living cost. Second, in terms of the poverty ratio based on socio-demographic characteristics, higher poverty ratio show among women, older people and households of fewer members. Third, 82.2% of the rural elderly households living with an income below the minimum living cost is found around the poverty line. Fourth, the rural elderly households show a comparatively higher poverty ratio than the other groups in the absolute and relative poverty, but lower economic strain than other groups in the subjective poverty ratio and life satisfaction level. In short, the rural elderly households' poverty level is generally high and therefore need ways of active economic supports, while a political approach to the subjective needs of the regional and intergenerational groups is also required.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.57-92
• /
• 2016

The Correlations Between the Labour Market Structure and Poverty of the Regions The main objectives of this study are to make an investigation into the spatial characteristics of poverty and to analyze the effects of regional labour market structure. Most previous studies on poverty were more likely to examine internal factors like the characteristics of poor households or family structures than external factors in terms of the regional environments. In order to achieve these goals, this study used the Small Area Estimation designed to estimate the income of each household and then calculate the poverty rate of each local area in order to examine the spatial characteristics of poverty. The poverty distribution in Korea showed the local labour market structures effect on the region poverty rate. The Korean economy now exhibits a big gap between the haves and the have-nots and between urban areas and rural areas. The poverty rate of particular regions will increase and those in the areas will face deteriorated circumstances falling into poverty traps. This study reflects this stern reality and empirically proved the strong need for consideration of regional characteristics in conducting studies on poverty and related policy amendments.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Child Welfare
• /
• no.36
• /
• pp.65-99
• /
• 2011

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between child poverty rate and family policy expenditure of welfare states (focusing on OECD countries). We analyzed not only the total social & family policy expenditures but the components of the family policy expenditure. OECD SOCX and calculated data from the LIS & OECD data were utilized for child and family policy expenditures and the poverty rate. One-way correlation and cluster analysis were employed for the analysis. The analytic results are as follows: Southern European and Anglo-Saxon countries' child poverty rates were higher and Scandinavian countries' child poverty rates were lower than any other clusters. The countries with high child poverty rate had higher child poverty rate than the entire nation's poverty rate, but Scandinavian countries' child poverty rate was lower. There was a strong correlation between family policy expenditure and child poverty rate. Especially the service expenditure and leave benefit expenditure were highly correlated with child poverty rate. On the other hand, cash expenditure was not significantly correlated with child poverty rate. We can suggest the policy implications from these results. Based on the analytic results, policy implications that the government should increase the family policy budget, especially the budget for family services and leave benefit to decrease child poverty rate and should make effort to support the employment of parents through policies such as active labor market strategies can be suggested.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.69 no.3
• /
• pp.9-33
• /
• 2017

This study estimated the socioeconomic costs of child poverty. Based on previous studies, the present study organized component categories for direct and indirect costs of child poverty, and estimated the cost of each category in 2015 through the collection of existing data and Delphi survey techniques among experts. The total socioeconomic costs of child poverty were compared to Korea's GDP. The results of this study were as follows. First, the socioeconomic costs of child poverty in Korea in 2015 ranged from 55 trillion KW(3.5% of GDP) to 99 trillion KW(6.5% of GDP). Second, the indirect socioeconomic costs of child poverty are much higher than the direct costs. Third, among the total cost categories, costs related to productivity loss and unemployment accounted for the largest portion of both the socioeconomic costs based upon absolute poverty and relative poverty. Crime costs are the second largest. Based on these results, we discussed the importance of early intervention for children in poverty; implementation of two-generation program that intervenes simultaneously with parents and children; and long-term, continuous and integrated intervention for high-risk groups such as poor children.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.61 no.2
• /
• pp.85-106
• /
• 2009

The main purpose of this paper is to examine the structural determinants of regional variations of poverty in Korea. Poverty rates and independent variables in Seoul, 6 other metropolitan areas, and 8 provinces except Jejudo from the year of 1998 through 2006 were pooled as unit of analysis. The pooled cross-sectional time-series regression(TSCSREG) using SAS program was adapted for the analysis. As a result of the analysis, absolute poverty and relative poverty of Gangwondo and Chungcheongnamdo were relatively higher, and that of Seoul and Ulsan metropolitan area were lower than other areas. And, the increase of financial self-reliance, social welfare expenditure, rate of standard workers, and rate of workers in manufacturing sector were associated with lower poverty rates. Therefore, place-based policies should be considered as another poverty-fighting tool in conjunction with people-based policies.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.159-187
• /
• 2010

The main purpose of this paper is to attempt an alternative measurement and analysis of poverty considering income as well as time in order to present an effective antipoverty policy. Based on Korea Welfare Panel Study (2005), the income poverty, time poverty, and double poverty of household in which householders were under 60 years were measured. Moreover this paper found that households experiencing the time poverty might be faced with additional income poverty because of the necessity to purchase care services in the market to compensate for the time. As a result of the analysis, income poverty rate is 9.5%, time poverty rate is 15.7%, and time-adjusted income poverty rate is 10.8%. And low-educated single parents with young children are more likely to experienced income as well as time poverty. Therefore, this paper proved that the 'welfare to work' policy without considering situations in household could be faced with the limit. Furthermore, this paper suggests that social welfare policy should aim at minimizing the tradeoffs among different works and activities, and then support to improve the quality of life.

• 한국사회정책
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.89-112
• /
• 2017

Because of low amounts of pension benefit, the Basic Pension of Korea has played a very limited role in reducing the high poverty rates of the elderly. Based on an empirical analysis of the poverty alleviation effect of alternative pension amounts, this paper shows that although the higher basic pension amounts help to reduce the absolute poverty rate of the elderly, it cannot significantly reduce the relative poverty rates. Authors contends that the main objective of the basic pension should be targeted to combat the absolute poverty level. This paper also argues that in order to reduce the relative poverty level of the elderly, the benefit level of National Pension should also be increased.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.39
• /
• pp.157-179
• /
• 1999

This study is an empirical research to analyze how many private income transfers in Korea decrease poverty rate, to compare the effects of private income transfers' decreasing poverty rate with income classes. This study has utilised the Family Income and Expenditure Survey to estimate the poverty ratio in urban areas and Unemployment Household Survey which Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs has investigated at 1998. Majour findins are these. First, Sizes of private transfers incomes are much than that of public transfers incomes. The rates in receiving private transfers income are ten times higher than that in receiving public transfers income among urban worker's household. The mean of private transfer income are about six times larger than that of public transfer income among urban worker's household. Second, the effects of private income transfers' reducing poverty rates are not large. After private transfers, urbarn workers' households are about 10 per cent away from its poverty line, and unemploy households are only 3 per cent away from its poverty line. Third, especially, private income transfers are hardly reducing poverty rates among extreme poverty class. After private transfers, urban workers' households which their incomes are within low 5%, are not away from its poverty line at all.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.301-322
• /
• 2013

By analyzing wave 1~11 (1998~2008) of Korean Labor and Income Panel Study(KLIPS) database, this study examines the effects of household characteristics and poverty duration on poverty exit. A special concern is to decide whether the decrease of poverty exit rates comes from true duration dependency or from the sample heterogeneity as poverty duration progresses. I also analyzed how the effects of independent variables are changed when unobserved heterogeneity is controlled. The results show that duration dependency disappears after controlling observed household characteristics and unobserved individual heterogeneity. This finding confirms that the apparent relationship between poverty exit rate and poverty duration is in fact a spurious association due to the sample heterogeneity rather than true duration dependency. In addition, the effects of household characteristics on poverty exit rate become more stronger when unobserved heterogeneity is controlled. Socioeconomic factors affecting poverty exit rates are such as householders' age, education, household composition, number of family members, labor force participation, and work status.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
• /
• v.41 no.4
• /
• pp.277-311
• /
• 2010

The powerful association between poverty and mental health has been recognized for many decades in the Western Countries. Despite growing poverty studies, there has been little attention to the association between poverty and mental health in Korea. In this article we examine the effects of the mental health on the poverty status transition. In this study we draw on nationally representative data from the The Korean Welfare Panel Study, to estimate the effects of depression and self-respects on the poverty status transition. Major findings are as follows. First, we find that there are mental health disparities between poor and non-poor classes. The mental health conditions of the poor are worse than the non-poor. Second, we find the strong correlations between the mental health and poverty status transition. Whether poor family exits poverty or not depends on the household head's mental health. Third, poverty experiences are different depending on the mental health conditions. To the mental ill-health family, the probabilities of poverty-exit are much lower and poverty duration is more long. Fourth, we find that family poverty status transitions are very significantly related with household head's mental health from the logistic model analysis. These findings suggest that there is a strong relationship between poor mental health and the experience of poverty in Korea. They also suggest that intervention programs to enhance the mental health of the poor are needed in order to reduce the poverty problem in Korea.