• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.7 no.10
• /
• pp.433-442
• /
• 2020

This study investigates the impact of fiscal transfer, specifically the Village Fund Transfer, on rural income inequality and rural poverty. Studies on fiscal transfer offers contrasting outcomes, some argues that fiscal transfer suppresses wealth disparity, while others argue that it tends to widen disparity. This study employs descriptive analysis in estimating the elasticity of income inequality and poverty rate before and after the Village Fund Transfer. It develops multiple regressions model on panel datasets of 33 provinces in Indonesia before and after the implementation of Village Fund Transfer. This study suggests that the elasticity of income inequality is higher after the implementation of village fund transfer. Rural poverty tends to decline annually, however, the elasticity changes is lower after the implementation of village fund transfer. Furthermore, this study suggests that village fund transfer is insignificant in coping with the issue of income inequality, while education and the level of labor productivity of agricultural sector appears to be the determinant factor in tackling the issue of income inequality in the rural areas. This study further reveals the significance of village fund transfer in suppressing the rural poverty rate. This study also highlights the significance of human resources quality and agricultural sector in reducing poverty rate in rural areas.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.289-309
• /
• 2023

While South Korea's universal healthcare system has garnered attention in public health, the issue of inequality in healthcare service provision among different age groups has incessantly become a significant concern. The focus of this concern is primarily on essential healthcare services, encompassing fundamental aspects of healthcare such as internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatric and adolescent care. This inequality is not limited to differences among age groups (both junior and senior demographics) but also extends to potential disparities in healthcare services based on geographic location, particularly in urban and rural contexts. This paper aims to investigate disparities in primary healthcare service resources in South Korea's evolving economic landscape between 1995 and 2021. We utilize a set of inequality indices with a spatial perspective through geographic cluster analysis. The findings reveal that concerns about inequality have been amplified during various economic events, including the IMF crisis in 1999, the global financial crisis in 2008, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. These years are identified as significant phases that have contributed to manifesting spatial disparities in primary healthcare provisions, with a particular emphasis on the senior-aged population rather than junior or all population groups. Our findings underscore the pressing need to address the unequal distribution of essential healthcare resources as part of preparedness for potential economic impacts, requiring a comprehensive consideration of the interconnected nature of demographic and spatial dimensions in healthcare services.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.1099-1109
• /
• 2018

For practical consideration, economic dispatch (ED) problems in power system have non-smooth cost functions with equality and inequality constraints that makes the problems complex constrained nonlinear optimization problems. This paper proposes a new constraint handling method for equality and inequality constraints which is employed to solve ED problems, where the incremental rate is employed to enhance the modification process. In order to prove the applicability of the proposed method, the study cases are tested based on the classical particle swarm optimization (PSO) and differential evolution (DE) algorithm. The proposed method is evaluated for ED problems using six different test systems: 6-, 15-, 20-, 38-, 110- and 140-generators system. Simulation results show that it can always find the satisfactory solutions while satisfying the constraints.

• Journal of Labour Economics
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.103-138
• /
• 2007

The purpose of this study is: (1) to compare the awareness of inequality concept between Korea and other countries using the survey, (2) to identify whether several inequality measures, which have diverse concepts, are different in empirical aspect, and (3) to suggest the direction for the income distribution policy in Korea. The results of the survey has shown a surprising fact in that the majority of respondents do not agree with the basic assumptions outlined by Gini coefficient, which is the relative inequality measures that had been generally accepted in the past. These results are very similar to those of other countries. However, the major difference with other countries is that the Koreans feel that absolute income inequality-the income gap between the poor and rich, has increased more than relative income inequality, when all incomes of social members are doubled. From the result it is difficult to say that the bi-polarization index is different from Gini coefficient in statistical aspect although it has different theoretical background. The national development strategy should seek to promote "the pro-poor growth" since the change of inequality affect differently on the change of growth and inequality depending on whether the inequality change is relative or absolute.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.42 no.5
• /
• pp.275-282
• /
• 2009

Objectives : This study aimed to verify the association between wealth or income level and health status after adjusting for other socio-economic position (SEP) indicators among Korean adults aged 45 and over. Methods : Data were obtained from the 1st wave of Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (households: 6,171, persons: 10,254). We used self-rated health status and activities of daily living (ADLs) as dependent variables. Explanatory variables included both net wealth measured by savings, immovables, the other valuated assets and total income including pay, transfer, property and so on. Binary logistic regression was conducted to examine the relationships. Also, in order to determine the relative health inequality across economic groups, we estimated the relative index of inequality (RII). Results : The inequality of health status was evident among various wealth and income groups. The wealthiest group (5th quintile) was much healthier than the poorest group, and this differential increased with age. Likewise, higher income was associated with better health status among the elderly. However, these effects, as measured by the odds ratio and RII, showed that wealth was more important in determining health status of elderly people. Conclusions : This study suggests that economic capability plays a significant role in determining the health status and other health-related problems among the elderly. Particularly, our results show that health status of the aged is related more closely to the individual s wealth than income.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.18 no.12
• /
• pp.494-502
• /
• 2017

This study examines how the Netherlands and Denmark lowered the increase in income inequality, at a period in time when income inequality in the world was deepening. This study investigates the level and trend of income inequality in the Netherlands and Denmark compared to those in Korea, the United States, Germany and Sweden. Using the method of the decomposition of changes in income inequality, this study identifies which factors are associated with the changes in inequality in these countries. It also explores which labor market policies mitigated inequality in these two countries. One of the major reasons for the reduction in earned income inequality in the Netherlands is the increased participation of women in economic activity through the increase in voluntary part-time working. In particular, the policies designed to promote equal treatment between full-time and non-regular workers contributed to the active participation of women in part-time work. Using active labor market policies, Denmark improved the proficiency of low skilled and low-wage workers, thereby alleviating the wage gap between high-income and low-income workers. Based on the experiences of the Netherlands and Denmark, this study discusses policy directions to mitigate income inequality in Korea.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.21 no.8
• /
• pp.478-488
• /
• 2021

This study analyzes the change in the contribution of the elderly to income inequality by using the Gini coefficient and the decile distribution ratio from the data of the Korea Welfare Panel Survey from 2007 to 2018 on economic inequality in old age. According to the study, the Gini coefficient of total income gradually decreased from 0.430 in 2007 to 0.383 in 2018. As a result, inequality decreased. Also, the higher the income quintile, the higher the income growth rate. Market income inequality has increased and inequality between public and private transfer income has decreased. Analysis of the contribution of income inequality to total income confirmed that public transfer income has replaced the role of private transfer income in reducing inequality over time. The expansion of public transfer income for the maintenance of basic living of the elderly is an important source of income for the elderly despite the crowding-out effect of private transfer income, market income, public and private transfer income, which are components of the income structure of the elderly, mutually complement total income. Therefore, it is important to identify income sources that contribute to alleviating income inequality among the elderly and reflect them in policy-making process.

• Journal of Labour Economics
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.1-44
• /
• 2014

This paper investigates the effect of household formation on the mapping from wage inequality to income inequality, which usually is smaller than the former. Added workers, income pooling among household members, and shared consumption are the factors that make income distribution less inequal than wage distribution, and the effect of income pooling appears to be the greatest. This suggests than the increase in nuclear families and the resulting increase of old families have a potential effect of worsening income inequality at the absence of sufficient private income transfers among the two households. A simple counter-factual estimate indicates that income pooling among the children's and parents' households can efficiently and sizeably reduce income inequality.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
• /
• v.54 no.2
• /
• pp.77-90
• /
• 2023

This study employed the Gini coefficient decomposition analysis to classify and examine fishery household income inequality according to income sources. The raw data from the Fisheries Economic Survey by the National Statistical Office were used for the analysis after equalization according to the recommended method of the OECD. In particular, the Gini coefficient was decomposed by classifying with and without public subsidies, and the contribution, correlation, and marginal effect by income source were presented.As a result of the analysis, the inequality of fishing income and non-fishing income of fishermen was worsening, and the inequality of transfer income was continuously easing. Among them, fisheries subsidies have been analyzed to have the greatest contribution to the Gini coefficient of gross income and the highest relative marginal effect, although distribution inequality has been alleviated. On the other hand, other subsidies, including public pensions, were found to have the opposite contribution, correlation, and marginal effect to fisheries subsidies. The results of this analysis showed that even within public subsidies, the contribution to income redistribution might differ depending on the nature of the subsidy. In addition, in the case of other public subsidies, it can be seen that the transition from selective welfare to universal welfare occurs.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
• /
• v.40 no.9
• /
• pp.143-159
• /
• 2002

This study investigates inequality of the private educational expenditure using the Family Expenditure Survey of 1990, 1996, 1998, and 2000. The major results are: first, inequality of the private educational expenditure has been relived between 1990 and 2000; second, despite decrease in household income right after the Korean economic crisis, the private educational expenditure has been increased in the households having middle and high school students; third, the gaps in the private educational expenditure between income groups are mainly due to the differences in the spending levels of the private education rather than differences in the percentages of households who spend any in the private education; fourth, in 2000, the gini coefficient of the private educational expenditure among households having elementary school student is 0.4832, and 0.6468 among households having middle and high school students; fifth, 30% of the households having middle and high school students who show the highest level of the private educational expenditure occupy 80% of the total private educational expenditure made by the whole households.