• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.289-297
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• 2018

Objectives: Obesity is a considerable and growing public health concern worldwide. The present study aimed to quantify socioeconomic inequalities in adult obesity in western Iran. Methods: A total of 10 086 participants, aged 35-65 years, from the Ravansar Non-communicable Disease Cohort Study (2014-2016) were included in the study to examine socioeconomic inequalities in obesity. We defined obesity as a body mass index ${\geq}30kg/m^2$. The concentration index and concentration curve were used to illustrate and measure wealth-related inequality in obesity. Additionally, we decomposed the concentration index to identify factors that explained wealth-related inequality in obesity. Results: Overall, the prevalence of obesity in the total sample was 26.7%. The concentration index of obesity was 0.04; indicating that obesity was more concentrated among the rich (p<0.001). Decomposition analysis indicated that wealth, place of residence, and marital status were the main contributors to the observed inequality in obesity. Conclusions: Socioeconomic-related inequalities in obesity among adults warrant more attention. Policies should be designed to reduce both the prevalence of obesity and inequalities in obesity by focusing on those with higher socioeconomic status, urban residents, and married individuals.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.339-351
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• 2018

Background: The purpose of this study is to estimate empirically whether there is a difference in medical use among income groups, and if so, how much. This study applies econometric model to the most recent year of Korean Medical Panel, 2015. The model consists of outpatient service and inpatient service models. Methods: The probit model is applied to the model which indicate whether or not the medical care has been used. Two step estimation method using maximum likelihood estimation is applied to the models of outpatient visits, hospital days, and outpatient and inpatient out-of-pocket cost models, with disconnected selection problems. Results: The results show that there was the inequality favorable to the low income group in medical care use. However, after controlling basic medical needs, there were no inequities among income groups in the outpatient visit model and the model of probability of inpatient service use. However, there were inequities favorable to the upper income groups in the models of probability of outpatient service use and outpatient out-of-pocket cost and the models of the number of length of stay and inpatient out-of-pocket cost. In particular, it shows clearly how the difference in outpatient service and inpatient service utilizations by income groups when basic medical needs are controlled. Conclusion: This means that the income contributes significantly to the degree of inequality in outpatient and inpatient care services. Therefore, the existence of medical care use difference under the same medical needs among income groups is a problem in terms of equity of medical care use, so great efforts should be made to establish policies to improve equity among income groups.

• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.35-45
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• 2022

Purpose - In spite of the growing importance of Taiwanese green industry, most of employees who work in this industry in Taiwan are dominated by males. Only a few females are working in this industry and their wage is lower. This research is applying role congruity theory which explains why females share only a small portion in Taiwan's green industry. This study addresses a research question, "How has the gender inequality and discrimination been reflected in the occupation structure of Taiwan's green industry? How has this gender occupation structure influenced females in the green industry?" Research design, data, and methodology - To find out the impact of gender role in the green industry, the dataset of the 2015 Taiwan Social Change Survey is used. Using STATA, t test has been implemented to address our research question with three hypotheses. Result -All of hypothesis were all supported. It is found there is a statistical difference in stereotypical thinking between female who work in the green industry and the non-green industry of Taiwan. The limited female representation in the green industry of Taiwan influences job matching and job satisfaction significantly. Conclusion - This study suggests the Taiwanese government should encourage STEM education for females and provide more relevant vocational education and training particularly for females' competency development in the green industry. By providing vocational education and training to meet the skill needs of greener economy resilient to climate change, Taiwan's green industry will grow further and will overcome gender inequality and discrimination.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.716-727
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• 2015

The location and distribution of daycare centers do not reflect local daycare demand enough although government has increased facilities and financial supports to solve the low birthrate as a social problem. This study tried to examine spatial inequality of daycare center distribution by comparing the number of daycare facilities between city and rural communities in Jeollanam-Do. Analyzing the differences between city (5 Cities) and rural area (17 Guns) in Jeollanam-Do, it has been found that there were large differences in the number of available facilities per 1,000 children between Cities (10.9 facilities) and Guns as rural area (6.2 facilities). The average number of facilities in each City and Gun also showed a large discrepancy as a City has 147.8 facilities and a Gun has 15.4 facilities, respectively. There were total 78 Dong or Myeon with no facility at all as a dead zone of daycare, and 8 of them were Myeons in cities with 560 children, which accounted for 0.7% of total population of children in cities. On the other hand, 70 Myeons in Guns with 5,269 children have no facilities at all, which accounted for 11% of total population of children in Guns. Public facilities that parents prefer were more in cities (87) than Guns (28). Therefore, it is necessary to consider various childcare policies with minimizing discrepancies between city and rural area and investigating more accurate local demands and characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.55
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• pp.181-204
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to offer a comprehensive analysis of the changing trends of the Korean income packaging, poverty rate, and level of income inequality from 1996 to 2002. In order to do that, this study used the micro-data of "Income and Expenditure Survey of Urban Households" by the National Statistical Office(NSO). Major results were as follows: (1) A ratio of public transfer in family income packaging increased at the DJ administration. (2) Poverty rate and Gini coefficient, which were 7.8% and 0.29 in 1996, rose to $8.8{\sim}10.4%$ and $0.30{\sim}0.34$ respectively during the year of 1998-2002. (3) However, poverty reduction effect and income inequality reduction effect of public income transfer increased preferably at the DJ administration. Those effects increased more since the enactment of National Basic Livelihood Security in 2000. Therefore, government should provide more national welfare programs to reduce the poverty rate and to improve better structure of income distribution.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.236-245
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• 2013

This study analyzed the relationship between elderly suicide rates and socio-economic factors from the macroscopic perspectives. As certain theoretical background of elderly suicide, sociological and economic perspectives are applied. The economic factors of elderly suicide rates consisted of economic growth and unemployment rate, economic activity rate of the aged, and relative poverty rate (income inequality rate). The sociological factors included social welfare spending, divorce rate, growth rate of population aging, and elderly dependency ratio. According to research findings, first, the more economic activity of the aged is low, the more elderly suicide rate is high. Second, the more social welfare spending rate goes flat, the more elderly suicide rate is growing. Third, the more relative poverty rate (income inequality), increasing population aging rate, and elderly dependency ratio are high, elderly suicide rate goes high at the same time. Finally, this study proposed several socio-economic policy alternatives for preventing continuous growth of Korean elderly suicide rate.

• Korean Journal of Legislative Studies
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.5-36
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• 2017

"The Candle Revolution" impeached the Park government and elected the Moon government. The candlelight protesters demonstrated public anger associated with accumulated corruption and deep-rooted irregularities. Complete political reform is required to perform deep fundamental reform. It aims to transform democracy in a way that is more inclusive. Inclusive democracy contributes to making welfare state stronger. Inclusive democracy is made possible by proportional representation that allows progressive parties more seats and leverages. Proportional representation systems are characterized by higher degrees of redistribution and larger welfare state. Constitutional reform has to be focused on introducing parliamentary government. "Imperialistic" presidential system in Korea has no mechanism of checks and balances which are key characteristics of presidential systems. It has failed to attend the poverty and social inequality arising from globalization and neoliberal change since 2000s. Parliamentary government is supposed to deliver social policy when parties are more disciplined than in presidential system where political parties remain weak.

• 사회경제평론
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.25-61
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• 2018

Nowadays 87 regimes born in the same year with the Korean Association for Political Economy(KAPE in abbreviation) have ended historically. This paper surveys the research trends of KAPE after 2007 for the 30th founding anniversary. This survey is expected to help research way forward of KAPE. The main contents of the surveys are as follows. Global finance crisis caused by subprime mortgage crisis in 2007 expanded to global economic crisis resulting in the crisis of economics. KAPE criticized the mainstream economics with different approach and methodology as well as political economy copying with the crisis of economics and then focused on economics of inequality. However, the progressive economics is depressed under the conservative regime after 2007. As a result, the progressive economics have experienced the crisis of reproduction of knowledge and have become the peripheral science in Korea. With new regimes after 87 regimes, more important than restoration of the progressive economics is rebirth as the progressive economics corresponding to new regime and new era. This is responsibility of KAPE as the single association of the progressive economics in Korea.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.565-575
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• 2019

Objectives: In this study, both subjective and objective levels of oral health were used to identify the relationship between oral health inequalities. Methods: Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey data from 2013 to 2015 were combined to create an analysis plan. Oral health questions categorized as subjective oral health conditions and oral health-related diseases used dental tissue disease status as data measured by the Community Periodical Index(CPI) and decayed, missing, filled teeth(DMFT) experience. Other data on oral health behaviors such as toothache experience, the frequency of toothbrush use, chewing problems, oral examination status, and unmet dental care needs were classified and analyzed according to the socioeconomic level. Data were analyzed using frequency and cross analyses, and the statistical significance level was set at 0.05. Results: It was found that higher the economic and educational level, better was the subjective oral health, lower the CPI, lower the experience of toothache, higher the frequency of toothbrush use, lower the number of people having chewing problems, and higher the frequency of oral checkups. Conclusions: Oral health inequality exists among social classes. It is suggested that continuous research and efforts be carried out to promote oral health while considering socioeconomic and educational levels. Further, active government efforts will be needed to address polarization by social class.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.185-212
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• 2010

This study simulates the effects of basic income on income redistribution in Korea, and compares the redistribution effects of basic income models with the effect of the current welfare system. Using the Korea Welfare Panel Study(2008), absolute/relative poverty rate, poverty gap ratio, gini coefficients are measured. As a result of simulation, the basic income models reduced poverty more effectively than the current system. And among the three basic income models, the basic income model combined with flat-rate tax reduced poverty more effectively. And the basic income model combined with progressive tax reduced inequality more effectively. The results of the study reported in this paper confirm the paradox of redistribution which suggest that the effect of universal welfare program on redistribution is the most noticeable.