• STI Policy Review
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2016

This study provides empirical evidences for the relationship between income inequality and economic growth, and relationship of income inequality with some of explanatory variables such as technological innovation, trade globalization, financial globalization and fiscal policy. We find out that income inequality has an adverse effect on economic growth, showing its dynamic features, for which we employed the polynomial distributed lags (PDL) model. The effect of income inequality on economic growth lasts over 9 years, and its dynamic effect peaks after 4 years. In addition, we also attempted to find out empirical evidences of sources of income inequality. The results show that income inequality is positively related to technological innovation, financial globalization, and fiscal policy; negatively related to the trade globalization. Many studies employ cross-country data, but it could have serious problems in collecting statistical data. Korean data is used over the time period of 1990-2015 in this study.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.1-28
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• 2007

Upon analyzing several Korean Income data sets, it is confirmed that the relationship between Gini coefficient and bi-polarization measure (EGR) is empirically not different although they each come from different theoretical basis. Furthermore, it is difficult to state that the degree of polarization of income distribution, measured by DER, in Korea has deepened more than that of income inequality, estimated by Gini coefficient, in the periods of before and after the economic crisis.

• Korean System Dynamics Review
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.51-74
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• 2014

Over the past few years Korea has achieved rapid economic growth, while the deepening polarization of income has negatively affected Korea economy and society. It can be the reason of this negative effect on economy that the increased income by the economic growth has not been distributed socially, but overly focused on one part of social class. One of the important and powerful solution of social polarization could be the strengthening of the income distribution. In these circumstances, the social interest and discussion on the universal welfare system and on the basic income as the means of income redistribution have been increasing. In this study, a system dynamic analysis was conducted to find how an universal cash payment as basic income providing cash benefits impacts on the promotion of consumption in private sector, of local jobs and of local economic organizations. Recently, the poor energy consumption ability of energy poverty became one of the social problems. Also it was analysed how an energy payment-in-kind as basic income influences on the energy consumption of the region, the energy production capacity, the promotion of local energy. The universal cash payment and energy payment-in-kind as the basic income policy showed similar and positive effects on the local economy system and on the local energy system respectively.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.87-108
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• 2013

With questionnaires conducted for 613 adult Koreans in Seoul, the present study examined how their social features (income level, political party identification, political values, values of capitalism and egalitarianism) exercise influence on attitudes toward income polarization and their evaluation of government policies. Two groups of participants (high vs. low) for each social feature were formed first. Then their attitudes toward income polarization (liberal vs. conservative) and evaluations of policies (liberal vs. conservative) exercised by government (Participatory vs. Practical) were compared. Results indicated that liberal value was strengthened by liberal value, anti-capitalistic, and conservative value was strengthened by egalitarian values, and party identification. It was also found that party identification partial effect on the judgment of policies exercised by Participatory Government. These findings were discussed in terms of their implications for Korean society and measures for communication constructive for settlement of income polarization were suggested.

• Land and Housing Review
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.205-215
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• 2011

Korea has experienced a remarkable economic achievement since the 1960s. However, behind this facade of growth and progress, a chronic housing shortage in the capital region, declining owner-occupation, rising housing costs, and polarization in housing conditions between the better-off and the worse-off clearly illustrate the impasse and crisis in housing that Korea now faces. In addition, the IMF crisis and the late global financial crisis shocked the Korean housing market. The Korean government has made significant policy changes to improve housing security for less-privileged groups. In order to achieve housing policy development, the Korean government has tried to employ of advanced countries. What are the benefits(merits) and dangers(demerits) of housing policy transfer between countries? This paper emphasizes that we must recognize about 'differences' rather than 'commonalities' between countries with respect to policy transfer. It also maintains that the government should play a main role as an enabler rather as a provider of 'low-cost' housing.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.187-207
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• 2002

This study investigates the wage determination process of regional labor markets in order to understand the regional dimension of labor market processes in Korean metropolitan cities. Since the financial crisis in late 1997, the interplay between labor market restructuring such as unemployment and skill polarization and income disparity has been shaped by the labor market process in the metropolitan cities. This is also closely related to the fact that both industrial restructuring and expanding information technologies in the metropolitan region have reshaped the labor demand structure and finally resulted in structural unemployment due to skill mismatch and spatial mismatch and wage inequality across different occupations. In addition, since wage determination process clearly has a regional dimension, wage determination and its influence on income profile in a certain regional labor market need to be understood by investigating its labor market characteristics including labor supply and demand structure, industrial changes, changing unemployment, etc. This is why labor market policy as a regional policy needs to be redefined and it can be much enhanced by geographical investigation on regional labor market.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.261-304
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• 2013

This article is aiming intensively to analyze the polarizing tendency of labour market and social integration. The polarization of labour market is being regarded as one of the hottest issues not less important than those problems of economic growth, employment, income distribution and national security etc. in the national policy. In this article, we will first follow up the important phenomena of labour market polarization and the background as well as its consequence. Especially, it asks if the present labour policy in the new government which is now being concentrated on the improvement of employment rate(from the present 63% to the 70% in the future) could deserve to diminish the polarization of labour market in korea. At one side, this article makes the special attention on the diversifying tendency of labour market and the various phenomena of fragmentation and segmentation in the labour market according to the forms and types of employment and according to the employee's status as much as the company's size. At the other side, it emphasizes that to overcome the polarization of labour market should require the wide reform from the legal measure to the improvement of the wage system, and the qualification system and the social investment as well as the human resource development. Furthermore, this article stresses the importance of integrative approach between the active market policy and the social policy instead of choosing each policy option, seperatively.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.625-633
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of private insurance revenues and household spending on household income inequality. To this end, we conducted a concentration index and concentration curve analysis for the income level of medical panel survey data in 2015. The main results are as follows. First, the household income concentration ratio is 0.3580, which means that income is concentrated in the high income group, and the degree of inequality is considerably large. Second, although the portion of the private insurance benefits was small on the high-income household, it helped to strengthen the benefits concentration on this group. Third, the low income group has a large self-pay medical expense. Finally, the index of the income excluding the burden of the total medical expenses in the household income was 0.3676, so that even accounting for medical expenses, the income was concentrated in the high income class. Therefore, private insurance benefits and medical expenses were all contributing factors to the inequality of household income, and this study provides the essential materials for research and policy planning which could lead to the convergence of different fields.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.49-57
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• 2018

This study aims to identify the inequalities and characteristics of health care expenditure of the elderly and non-elderly households by income level. As a result, health care expenditure of elderly households was statistically significantly higher than that of non-elderly households. As a result of calculating the concentration index of health care expenditure by income level, inequality was higher in order of non-elderly households, elderly households, and total households. In order to confirm the effect of health expenditure on household income inequality, we calculated the concentration index of income excluding total health care expenditure from total income. As a result, inequality was higher in order of elderly households, whole households, and non-elderly households. There was not much difference in inequality of health care expenditure among elderly households and non-elderly households. And, the health care expenditure of elderly households was much higher than that of non-elderly households. Also, inequality of health care expenditure by income group was serious. There should be no cases where the medical care support policy for elderly households can not use necessary medical services.

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