• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.36-57
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• 2010

The degree of income inequality deepened by health care expenditure was useful in assessing the health security level. This exploratory study was conducted to provide a basic evidence to prove the necessity of reinforcement the benefit coverage of South Korea's health security systems. Data from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey of Korea and Luxembourg Income Study were used. Income inequality indices before and after deduction of health care expenditure were computed, and the degree of the increase in the indices was compared among 13 countries. The degree of decrease against the effect of income inequality reduction policies by health care expenditure was determined. The relationships between the national characteristics and the increase in income inequality were examined. In South Korea, all income inequality indices increased after deducting health care expenditure, but the difference was not high compared to the mean of 13 countries. However, the degree of decrease against the effect of income inequality reduction policies by health care expenditure was high, compared to the mean of 13 countries. The proportion of public sector spending on health care proved to be statistically significant with the increase of income inequality indices (p<0.05). In the context of the continuous increase in health care expenditure, if benefit coverage of health security systems is not reinforced, income inequality will all the more increase due to health care expenditure. In the establishment of the policies for reinforcement of the benefit coverage, income inequality after deduction of health care expenditure should be continuously monitored.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.105-138
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• 2009

This study investigates the spatial distribution of the degree of water pollutants in Han River using data obtained by the water pollution observation stations. This study estimates a non -parametric kernel density function for each water pollutants, and tests a significant difference between two estimated distribution functions. Next, Generalized Entropy inequality indices are evaluated and this research tests difference of inequality indices between two years using bootstrapping method. Lastly in a dynamic of view, it is analyzed that there are significant changes in the ranking of water pollution level. Estimation results show that the degree of inequality in spatial distribution of water pollution tends to be stable or decreasing for last 15 years in a great part of water pollutants, and ranking of water pollution level hardly changes in Han River.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.240-250
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• 2018

By the end of 2017, in a world of 7.6 billion people, there were inequalities in healthcare indices both within and between nations, and this gap continues to increase. Therefore, this study aims to understand the current status of regional inequalities in healthcare indices and to find an action plan to tackle regional health inequality through a geo-economic review in Korea. Since 2008, there was great inequality in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy by region in not only metropolitan cities but also districts in Korea. While the community health statistics from 2008-2017 show a continuous increase of inequality during the last 10 years in most healthcare indices related to noncommunicable diseases (except for some, like smoking), the inequality has doubled in 254 districts. Furthermore, health inequality intensified as the gap between urban (metropolitan cities) and rural regions (counties) for rates of obesity (self-reported), sufficient walking practices, and healthy lifestyle practices increased from twofold to fivefold. However, regionalism and uneven development are natural consequences of the spatial perspective caused by state-lead developmentalism as Korea has fixed the accumulation strategy as its model for growth with the background of export-led industrialization in the 1960s and heavy and chemical industrialization in the 1970s, although the Constitution of the Republic of Korea recognizes the legal value of balanced development within the regions by specifying "the balanced development of the state" or "ensuring the balanced development of all regions." In addition, the danger of a 30% decline or extinction of local government nationwide is expected by 2040 as we face not only a decline in general and ageing populations but also the era of the demographic cliff. Thus, the government should continuously operate the "Special Committee on Regional Balanced Development" with a government-wide effort until 2030 to prevent disparities in the health conditions of local residents, which is the responsibility of the nation in terms of strengthening governance. To address the regional inequalities of rural and urban regions, it is necessary to re-adjust the basic subsidy and cost-sharing rates with local governments of current national subsidies based mainly on population scale, financial independence of local government, or distribution of healthcare resources and healthcare indices (showing high inequalities) overall.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.55-83
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• 2012

Self-employment rate is high in Korean labor market, while the income gap within self-employed is also high. Although, there are very few studies that addressed on the income inequality of self-employed. Thus, this study has measured the earnings inequality of self-employed by generalized entropy indices and decomposed inequality factor and trend. The empirical study is based on Korea Welfare Panel Study wave 1~4. The main result from this analysis is summarized in three points. Firstly, earnings inequality of self-employed is severely high and the earnings polarization within self-employed has become more serious in Korea. Secondly, this study provides the evidence that the main factor of earnings inequality of self-employed is the status of self-employment, education level, age group, workplace scale and industry. Thirdly, the contribution of relative changes in the incomes of the status of self-employment is the largest to the inequality trend. In terms of education level, age group and industry, the increase of inequality within group(pure effect) mainly attributes to the rise of earnings inequality of self-employed and the change effect of group composition contributes to deterioration of inequality.

• Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.32-41
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• 2012

In recent times, multi-centralization and decentralization as well as large Capital area and suburbanization in the spatial structure of capital area. With rapid growth, urbanization and industrialization are unsystematic, and growth inequality between regions caused negative effects such as discordant centralization and decentralization, fluctuating land value, and gap between living conditions. Accordingly, this study analyzed urban spatial indexes by the self-governed body in the capital area such as Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi province for the analysis of the regional inequality phenomenon. We examined the characteristics of temporal and spatial changes in urban spatial structure in the capital area by utilizing the distribution pattern and density of city indexes such as population, employment, etc, and then drew the commonality of those factors through factor analysis. We evaluated the drawn results through the city standard index by each city, conducted factor score analysis, and identified the interaction between each factor and Housing Purchase Price Composite Indices index, housing rent price index(Housing Jeonse Price Composite Indices), land price fluctuation rate, diffusion ratio of house, and financial independence.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.12
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• pp.19-29
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• 2021

This study aims to measure financial inclusion and examine its impact on income inequality in a panel of 18 Asian countries over the period 1997-2017. Two alternative approaches for developing financial inclusion index are used: one approach following the methodology of Sarma (2008), while the other is the Dynamic Factor Model (DFM)-based index. The impact of individual indicators and index of financial inclusion on inequality in income is analyzed. The Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) approach is used for empirical analysis. The results indicate that micro-level financial inclusion has a weak negative and statistically significant impact on income inequality. Macro-level index and all individual indicators of financial inclusion do not affect income inequality in the selected sample of economies. The income inequality issues have different natures and cannot be fixed by financial inclusion only. It needs holistic structural reforms to enable fair distribution of income and make an equitable financial system. Financial inclusion is a relatively less important intervention tool regarding fixing the issue of income inequality. This is one of the first studies that used the DFM method for financial inclusion indices construction.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.95 no.4
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• pp.476-483
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• 2006

This study tried to estimate the concentration indices of 15 forested national parks using Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve which can be measure the degree of inequality. The concentration indices were estimated by two parts which are yearly index for the periods of 1997-2005 and travel origin area(city or province) distribution index each national park. The empirical results were as follows: first, yearly Gini coefficients showed severe inequality. Particularly, 2004 and 2005 Gini coefficients were .453 and .446. which are intensive inequality compared with other years. Second, in travel origin area distribution each national park, Gini coefficients of Bukhansan and Kyeryungsan national park were .916 and .855 which are the great inequality compared with other national parks. The other hand, Gini coefficients of Dukyusan and Byunsanbando national parks were .508 and .628 which are the lowest inequality. The national park policy manager should find out the factors of concentration and deconcentration each year and national park and decided the visitor distribution policy which visitor size and scope for balancing the natural resources use.

• Kyungpook Mathematical Journal
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.169-180
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• 2015

We study the braid indices of the Kanenobu knots. It is known that the Kanenobu knots have the same HOMFLYPT polynomial and the same Khovanov-Rozansky homology. The MFW inequality is known for giving a lower bound of the braid index of a link by applying the HOMFLYPT polynomial. Therefore, it is not easy to determine the braid indices of the Kanenobu knots. In our previous paper, we gave upper bounds and sharper lower bounds of the braid indices of the Kanenobu knots by applying the 2-cable version of the zeroth coefficient HOMFLYPT polynomial. In this paper, we give sharper upper bounds of the braid indices of the Kanenobu knots.

• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.47-77
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• 2017

This paper analyzes the changes in wage inequality and its contributing factors since the mid-2000s. Although trends vary by data and wage indices, the Gini coefficient of the total wage of all workers shows an increasing trend due to the part-time increase of less than 35 hours per week, while the wage Gini coefficient of hourly wages and the total wage Gini coefficient of full-time workers showed a declining trend. Part-time increases have increased inequality based on total wages, but part-time hourly wage increases can be considered to have reduced hourly wage inequality. Therefore, as a result of decomposing the factor of Gini coefficient reduction only for full-time workers, factors that contributed absolutely to inequality reduction were variables such as job tenure, career, and occupation, and employment type variable has little effects, and the establishment size variable deepens inequality. The variables such as industry, age, and education did not contribute significantly to the inequality change. This is attributed to the decline in wage premiums for job tenure and management and professional jobs and the increase in wage premiums for large-scale businesses.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.12
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• pp.647-655
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• 2020

This study introduced income mobility analysis using pseudo-longitudinal panel data from Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) to consider the dynamic process of individual's well-being through time. Since there is no comprehensive measurement of income mobility because of its dynamic process, various income mobility indices such as Chi-square, Average Jump Index, Atkinson et al. Mobility Ratio, and Shorrocks' Mobility Index were used. These indices revealed that Filipino households' income movements are more mobile than expected, and their income status improved from 2000 to 2015. As income mobility takes place, income inequality is reduced by 91.80 percent (91.80%). Furthermore, the growth effect is the main factor of income mobility. This indicates that households took the economic opportunities from economic growth to earn more. However, income mobility due to transfer effect (transfer of income from one household to another through lottery winning and borrowing) increased when the economy is not good. The higher income mobility due to growth effect compared to transfer effect, whether the economy is good or bad, means that households learned how to use their income in savings, investments, and entrepreneurship. This is the result of a successful financial literacy program of the government wherein households realized financial stability and security.