• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• no.36
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• pp.175-202
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• 2008

This paper analyzes the relationship between social assistance and poverty in Korea. Social assistance in Korea which had a Poor Law tradition for about forty years, was finally reformed and a new general assistance scheme designed to protect fundamental human rights, was established in 1999. Are the means-tested social assistance benefits effective in protecting the poor from hardship? How effectively do the means-tested benefits reduce poverty? To assess the effects of the means-tested social assistance benefits in Korea on poverty reduction, the study uses household data from the National Basic Livelihood Security Programme Review Board (NRB). Moreover, to obtain a comparative perspective, a British dataset the Family Resources Survey (FRS) is assessed. The incidence and the intensity of poverty for a range of household types are analyzed before and after social assistance benefits for both countries. The results of the analysis show the Korean social assistance benefits do not radically alleviate poverty, although recipients' income positions are improved after social assistance transfers. Compared to Korea, Britain achieved marked success of means-tested social assistance benefits with a high degree of effectiveness, especially among the extreme and the severe poverty brackets, while there are variations between different household types regarding the incidence and the intensity of poverty before and after transfer.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.46
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• pp.178-209
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• 2001

This paper aims to provide a critical assesment of Conservatives's and new Labour's social assistance reforms in the U.K. and their differential impacts on low income groups. During the period of 18 years in power, the Conservative governments enforced benefit recipients being capable of work to be out of benefits and to get into work. They employed not only 'carrots' to encourage beneficiaries being capable of work to have full-time work, but also 'sticks' to discourage them to depend on benefits. The reforms under the Conservative governments were closer to the workfare model. The new Labour government has continued to emphasize work regarding social security reform. It has raised 'from welfare to work' as the main reform objective. However, it has not necessarily focused on 'carrots and sticks' in order to get beneficiaries into work. Instead, the new Labour government has put its priority regarding social assistance reform on human capital development in order to develop the capability of beneficiaries for work. Britain under the new Labour government seems to be moving from workfare to activation model. These differentials between the Conservative governments and the new Labour government regarding social assistance reforms bring about the different policy outcomes. Under the Conservative government, social assistance programmes were prone to strengthen the state's control over benefit recipients and to increase stigma to them. Punitive, demeaning, stigmatising programmes of work and unending job search activities harm the bases of self-respect. On the contrary, the activation programmes under the new Labour government has contributed positively to both socially significant participation and autonomy of beneficiaries.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.42
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• pp.107-138
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• 2000

Today, the public assistance program in Korea is provided mainly for the livelihood protection beneficiary in urban area. The fact that the urban community-centered program is also applied to the livelihood protection beneficiary in rural area brings about some problems in fitness and effectiveness of resource distribution. The purpose of my study is to present my opinion that the public assistance program for the rural community should be put in practice after being fully distinguished from the urban program for the effective distribution of limited social welfare resources to insure the minimum standard of living and seek the self-support contribution which is the purpose of the public assistance program. The subject for this study were livelihood protection beneficiaries living in both rural and urban area. And the study was carried out in this parts: first, the way of life in them, second, the contents of 6 main public assistance programs being carried out. Total number of the livelihood protection beneficiaries are 279 case: 143 case from 15 Dong in 5 cities, and 136 case from 15 Myun in 5 counties. And the social worker who are performing the public assistance programare consisted of 50 case: 25 case from 5 Dong in 5 cities, and 25 case from 5 Myun in 5 counties. This research reach the result that the differentiate performance of the public assistance program in rural community would be an effective device for self-support to be freed from the vicious circle of poverty.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.119-139
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• 1999

While many factors could be mentioned to the rapid development of Israel for the last 50 years, it could not be overemphasized the critical role of large scale influx of Jewish immigrants not only in the process of achieving national independence but to the development of modernization. It is well known that mass influx of people in a relatively short period of time may cause serious social problems in various areas such as housing shortage, increasing crime rate, etc. Nontheless, Israel is avidly recognized as a country that successfully overcome such problems by means of creating systematic social integration systems and practicing various adaptation assistance programs for new immigrants. This study was concerned with such a successful social adaptation-assistance programs of Israel for large scale immigrants those who came from all over the world with different socio-economic background. In order to answer the research questions, following two areas of topics were researcher`s main concern. First, organizational structure and functions of the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption of Israel and Jewish Agency that are primarily responsible for the economic, occupational, social, and cultural integration of immigrants during their first three years (five years for housing-aid) in Israel. Second practical adaptation assistance programs such as direct absorption basket, Ulpan, Aliyah 2000, special projects of Keren Hayesod and two of Aliyah Absorption Centers are examined. And lastly some of implications and suggestions are provided in the conclusion section in relation with social adaptation-assistance and integration of reunified Korea, especially from the point of North Koreans.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.425-431
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The study objectives were to examine the participation rate in food assistance programs and explore the factors that contribute to such participation among the Korean elderly population. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study sample comprised 3,932 respondents aged 65 years or older who were selected from a secondary data set, the fourth Korean Welfare Panel Study (KoWePS). The factors, related to participation in programs were examined based on the predisposing, enabling and need factors of the help-seeking behavior model. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to select the best contributors among the factors related to program participation. RESULTS: The predisposing rate in food assistance programs was 8.5% (7.1% for men and 10.4% for women). When all variables were included in the model, living without spouse, no formal education, low income, having social security benefits and food insecurity in elderly men, and age, low income, having social security benefits and feeling poor in elderly women were significantly related to a higher tendency to program participation. CONCLUSIONS: The predisposing and need factors, such as living without spouse, low education level, food insecurity and feeling poor were important for program participation, as well as enabling factors, such as household income and social security benefits. A comprehensive approach considering these factors to identify the target population for food assistance programs is needed to increase the effectiveness and target population penetration of these programs.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.598-608
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• 2019

This study is empirically intended to look into the effects of safety income system on recipient's economic independence and life satisfaction under the social security system. To achieve this, a survey was carried out to 650 adult householders benefiting from the social security system. The SPSS 23 statistical program was used to apply measurement variables related to the safety income system. The results of this study are summarized as follows. The social insurance and the social assistance of safety income system were adopted, having a significant effect on the economic independence. The effect of economic independence on life satisfaction was rejected, while the effect of social assistance on life satisfaction was adopted, showing a difference in the effect of each factor. The findings imply that social insurance and social assistance with support for safe income can be a positive help for economic independence, and unemployment benefit, national pension, long-term care subsidy and health insurance can help to achieve real economic independence, adopting only social assistance with limitation to life satisfaction. Consequently, the safety income system is very useful in helping recipients to achieve their economic independence through its introduction, but there is some distance to meet their life satisfaction.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.111-136
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• 2007

The National Basic Livelihood Security(NBLS) System implemented from October 2000 has expanded cash assistance to cover the poor who are able to work in our country. Although the cash assistance for them has positive aspects of providing basic livelihood security for all people, but many scholars have also pointed out its negative aspects such as a decrease in labor supply among the poor. In order to provide policy implications for the cash assistance program of our country as well as the US, this paper examines the impact of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families(TANF) on poverty among single mothers and their families using data from March Current Population Survey of $1991{\sim}2002$. TANF imposes strong work requirements and time limits to recipients as conditions for cash assistance, which are major sub-components of TANF. Therefore, this paper analyzes TANF by looking at work requirements and time limits separately, not by looking at TANF as a single policy. The research findings show that work requirements significantly decreased income and increased poverty among single mothers. Although time limits show income increasing effects and poverty decreasing effects, it seems further studies on time limits are needed at this point. The research findings of this paper provide important lessons for welfare to work cash assistance of our country as well as the US.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.46
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• pp.60-88
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• 2001

This paper examined the impacts of the welfare reform program, California Work Pays Demonstration Program(CWPDP), implemented in 1992. CWPDP was designed to move welfare recipients into the labor market by reducing the amount of AFDC grants and one-third earned income disregard. The evaluation of the policy impacts on the welfare recipients was conducted in two areas: employment and earnings. This study used a subset of a database created by the California Department of Social Services, and University of California Data Archive and Technical Assistance. The subset is composed of 3,936 AFDC-FG cases selected in LA County: 1,311 control cases and 2,625 experimental cases. The control group was kept on the AFDC rules as of September 1992, while the experimental group was subject to AFDC rule changes implemented under CWPDP. The analyses of the employment and earnings using the random effects probit model and the random effects regression model, respectively, indicated that CWPDP did not effectively encourage female heads to participate in the labor market. It also revealed that CWPDP did not significantly increase the earnings of female heads. The findings imply that the disincentive structure of the public assistance program is not the main barrier preventing female heads from getting jobs and leaving the welfare rolls. Rather, participation in the labor market and exit from welfare is mainly determined by their own demographic characteristics and the economic cycle. Based on the findings, policy implications are suggested on the National Minimum Protection Program in Korea. Those include a flexible exemption rate for the earned income of beneficiaries, affordable child care services, and guaranteed public jobs.

• Korea journal of population studies
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.91-111
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• 2011

Based on social capital theory, this study intends to understand accessed and mobilized social capital of married women with young children and the difference between two types of social capital in terms of their employment status. Factors related to accessed and mobilized social capital are also investigated. The subjects are 571 married women (284 employed and 287 unemployed) who have children younger than 5 years old. Their networks are revealed to show different composition and resource distribution according to the respective employment status. No significant difference is found in accessing social capital depending on the employment status. However, working women are capable of mobilizing more social capital for economic resources and child-care assistance than non-working women. The employment status is significant only in mobilizing social capital related to child-caring assistance. The effects of variables related to social networks of married women differ according to the types of resources sought for. The choices of married women on the employment status and child-rearing are observed in the findings of the ability to mobilize social capital for child-care assistance. The importance of kin ties and various social services for building social capital are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.3
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• pp.125-177
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• 1982