• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.433-461
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• 2011

This study investigated changes and determinants of public pension generosity and pension spending in welfare states during the last retrenchment period. Path-dependency thesis, industrialization theory and power resources model were examined with the twelve welfare states from 1980 to 2007. The main results are as follows. First, the developments of benefit generosity and pension spending have been differently presented according to pension structure. Second, the cross-national pooled-time series analysis confirmed that pension structure is the most significant factors to determine the level of benefit generosity and pension spending. Third, the positive effect of population ageing on pension spendings were proved even without any changes of pension generosity. New social risks, however, have restrained the pension spending. Fourth, the power of the left party and labor union did not affect the pension policy, which implies that power resources theory cannot explain the development of pension policy in this retrenchment period.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.231-251
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• 2014

Recently, Korean government documented the plan to cope with the situation related to rich pensioners of Basic old-age pension. The purpose of this paper is to verify that how many rich pensioners are existing and to evaluate government reform plan's validity and effect. Main results are as follows; firstly, if the definition of rich pensioners is on the top 10%, the proportion of them would form 2.9% of total. And then, an amount of expenditure for them is only 2.6% of total. Secondly, in terms of disposable income, debt, and transfer income from child, the household who would be applied by government's plan is not richer than other household who is in the same living standard. And then, if the government's plan enforced, the effect might be very small. Lastly, the plan of government will discriminate against persons who support their parent. As a result, Basic old-age pension will be worsen. This paper should underline that the government's reform is only the 'hidden' retrenchment strategy in order to introduce a standard of the obligation to support own parent in the state without scientific prediction and serious discussion of negative public opinion. That is why, this is the same as the 'Trojan Horse'.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.97-122
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• 2011

After global economic crisis, most countries increased the welfare expenditure as a part of stimulus package. As a However welfare expenditure was decreased radically as the crisis was transmitted into the financial crisis. Which turning point is the welfare state going through now? Although the need for the welfare and the role of the state to take responsibility of public welfare has increased because of poverty and polarization, responses of the state against the crisis had focused on the aid to the financial industry and cutting taxes and showed limitations in coordination. Financial limitation of welfare expenditure, political individualism, the change of class politics and the mixture of the welfare institutions and financial institutions make have a pessimistic prospect of the retrenchment to the minimalist welfare state. As neoliberal state is continued cash benefits mainly for the middle class is being decreased. As a result, the direction the welfare states pursue is prospected to win over the poor by strengthening selectivity in welfare provision rather than class coordination.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.39
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• pp.74-102
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• 1999

The integrated global economic system have intensed Liberalization, dereguration, privatization. National states were subordinated in global economic system. To save social costs and to encourage the national competition power, the globalized market tends to reduce the domestic social expention. Truely anxious things are not the defectiveness of capitalism itself but neo-liberal measures of each national states. So neo-liberal globalization beat welfare states. Welfare and growth, accumulation and justice are inter-conflict elements, and these confliction is well explained in context of globalization. Stratigies of growth pursuing economic benefits subordinate social policy in economic policy. Globalization did not always reduce the power of national state, but each national states purposely reduce the power of state and state participations. Thus Globalization can be overcome and must be overcome, eventually, the history of social welfare in korea differ frome that of European states. Their's social welfare retrenchment have based on the excessly expeneded welfare provision, but the frame of social welfare in korea is not yet established in history. Fundamentally historic experiences between European and korean social welfare are different. So "the third way" in korea must be in carefull approaches and the social welfare policy in korea must purchase "anti-market policy" and the equal distribution.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.343-368
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• 2011

This Study aims to criticize national pension fund governance reform plan of Korea government and to search for an alternative direction of the reform. Firstly, I examine the theoretical basis of the Korean government reform plan by clarifying limits of application of agency theory to the public pension fund governance. Secondly, I try to reconstruct principles of the public pension fund governance with an alternative theoretical view emphasizing democracy principle. Thirdly, I evaluate the government reform plan with the basis of reconstructed pension fund governance principles. The government reform plan is expected to cause retrenchment of democracy and even political autonomy. It also would make worse the problem of pension fund autonomy from the financial market and the risk of the pension fund caused by market turbulence. Finally I suggest alternative direction of the pension fund governance reform emphasizing the democracy principle. This direction contains constructing co-determination structure of the state and the civil society, escalating controling power of the governing body to the administration body, setting the limits of the roles of the state, attaining of the autonomy from the financial market, strengthening organizational and social accountability.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• no.39
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• pp.365-393
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• 2008

This research examnied the roles, the strategies and the influence of labor unions on the pension reform. In Italia labor unions were important actors in pension reform politics during 1990s, but in 2004 labor union was excluded from the pension reform. This difference is not only related with diffusion of the leftist party but also the experience of pension benefit retrenchment of the pension reform in 1995 in which labor unions had initiatives. Labor unions choose their strategies, social dialogue or mass struggle, depending on the attitudes of government. After change of government following the failure of the pension reform in 1994 Italian government tried social dialogue. In Dini reform in 1995, laborunions had initiative in making pension reform plan. Labor unions obtained member's approval using membership vote. It had repressed opposition from militant sectors effectively. However Labor unions concentrated on the issues of transition measures and protecting vested rights in seniority pension ignoring problems of contribution evasion of small-firm workers and benefit adequacy of young workers. Even when labor unions leaded social concertation processes and pursued union democracy, labor unions' influences on the pension reform had fundamental limitations.