• Health Policy and Management
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.513-522
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• 2019

Background: South Korea operates a Medical Aid (MA) program targeting selected low-income individuals to ensure medical service delivery to the disadvantaged while enhancing self-sufficiency of work-capable beneficiaries. However, as reasons behind welfare exits are diverse and do not always infer poverty relief or the provision of appropriate levels of health care services, this study aimed to investigate the association between changes in MA status and health care utilization. Methods: This study used the 2006 to 2015 National Health Insurance claims data. The impact of changes in annual MA status on health care utilization (yearly number of outpatient visits, inpatient visits, length of stay, and emergency department [ED] visits) was investigated using the generalized estimating equation model. Results: In 117,943 adult subjects aged 20 to 64, compared to the 'MA to MA' group, the 'MA to MA exit' group showed general decreases in utilization (outpatient visits: β=-3.93, p<0.0001; hospital admissions: relative risk [RR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-0.91; length of stay: β=-3.64, p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.77-0.90). Similar patterns were found in the 'MA exit to MA exit' group (outpatient visits: β=-5.72, p<0.0001; admissions: RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87-0.94; length of stay: β=-5.87; p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.75-0.88). Likewise, in 74,747 older adult subjects aged 65 or above, the 'MA to MA exit' group showed reduced levels of utilization (outpatient visits: β=-1.51; p=0.0020), as well as the 'MA exit to MA exit' group (admissions: RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.89-0.95; length of stay: β, -5.45; p<0.0001; ED visits: RR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83-0.97). Conclusion: MA exit was associated with general decreases in health care utilization. Utilization patterns of individuals with experiences of receiving MA benefits should be monitored to promote the ideal use of health care services while preventing potential financial barriers present in accessing medical care.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.259-286
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine which factors decide welfare exit in the hope building account program that targets low-income families. This study used the matched DB of hope ribbon program and hope building account program which is collected by central self-sufficiency foundation. As a result, the significant factors in welfare exit are main income, health(illness), licensed possession of status, education, marital status, employment and entrepreneurship, in-kind support, professional case management service, and social service. In particular, the participants who received proper social services and case management services in the program have more possibility of welfare exit than the participants who did not. It have implications in that the study found the success factors by connecting hope ribbon program and the hope building account program which has been introduced since 2010 and enlarge the scope of the performance analysis of the hope building account program. In addition, this study provides the suggestions to improve anty-poverty policy and system in the direction of providing work incentives and facilitating welfare exit and securing continuity of the hope building account program and the hope ribbon program. Specifically, this paper can be utilized as objective data in establishing a expansion of the hope building account program and suggesting the important issue for the case management in the filed.

• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.35-64
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• 2013

This paper explores whether or not a minimum wage increase can do much to alleviate working poor. For this purpose, I analyze transitions from working poor to working non-poor and to unemployment or non-economically active states, using KLIPS (Korea Labor and Income Panel Study). This study uses the multilevel multinomial logit model to control unobserved individual heterogenous characteristics. It finds that a minimum wage increase tends to cause a higher probability of transitions from working poor to working non-poor. It is also discovered that a minimum wage increase is not negatively related with the persistence of the working state. It is concluded that minimum wage increases are likely to be effective in improving the living standards of the 'working poor'.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.67 no.4
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• pp.251-277
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• 2015

This qualitative study is designed for the reconstruction of the experience of single mothers in poverty based on the bottom-up approach. Welfare dependency is identified as vital help to protect their own and children's lives, through their stories telling that welfare services provided by government and community take care of them "in place of their husbands", and "raise them up by hand." What is self-sufficiency to them is more of a process-orientation through welfare dependency than a state out of it, and a way to look through building their self-esteem and working to discover their self-worth except their economic power. Restoring their potential to self-sufficiency through dealing with their psycho-social stresses and expanding services for them related to child-care(education) and occupation ability development for long-term self-sufficiency, rather than hasty focusing on welfare exit, should be built on the foundation of helping them self-sufficient. In order for the self-sufficiency program to overcome the participant's images of "subordination and stigma" and to convey the original meaning of "welfare to work", the performance and evaluation system of self-sufficiency programs that reflects the insider's perspectives on their participation motive and process, and the self-sufficiency program customized for their needs and interests should be encouraged to develop.

• Korean Journal of Family Social Work
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• no.43
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• pp.61-85
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• 2014

The aim of this study is to examine how labour transition of female householders is proceeded, and to identify mechanisms that cause them to be excluded from labor market. For this, thirteen lone mothers who have had labor experience in the market, while raising children were interviewed. This qualitative case study was proceeded by way of participants' interviews and questionnaires. Finding shows, impoverished lone mothers were horizontally moving incessantly on second labor market. As poverty worsens by years, poor lone mothers tend to be more dependant on the government's support and to transit downward to work-poor labor market. The unprivileged women were excluded from multi-dimentions: market structure, social relations and gender norms. The sex-segmental and human capital-oriented market has excluded women who gave up their career for caring. Female breadwinners were frequently excluded from social relations and opportunities for labor due to their stigma. sometimes they were self-excluded from the market for they had to care for their children. In conclusion, suggestions are given to enhance qualities of lone mother's lives and help them exit from poverty. It is necessary to implement positive labor policy with labor flexibility and stability and to practice socialization of care as care support system is very important for maintaining their jobs. Above all, social awareness of gender role must be changed.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 1994

In the later part of 1980's, a great emphasis has been placed on the treatment issues of livestock wastes due to the continuous increase in consumption of livestock and meat products. Continued economic development for three decades has enhanced the nationally general level of life for the purpose of exit out of absolute poverty, thus accompanied with people's demand for a quality of environment beyond the traditional economic factors over times. Such an individual or collective demand for environment of life has been primarily focussed and argued on only rural environment in the early development periods. In perspective of clean water supply and security for urban area, however, it is more important to treat livestock wastes in the oriented-sustainable environment than in the conventional ways without working on environment degradation. Livestock wastes composed of the high-concentrated organic matter ought to be controlled and treated in sound ways, if not, which on one hand may result in pollution of underground water, surface water and a nasty smell, and on the other hand also may cause people to file a civil petition. Therefore on the research paper, reviewing occurrence of livestock waste and situation of treatment in details, through scrutinizing the government regulation and financing or subsidizing for it, author intends to find out the initiative of 'resourcefication' of treating of livestock wastes in the environmental soundness and efficiency

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.679-690
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• 2018

This study investigated what factors influenced the willingness to work( or start-up) of the self-support program participants. And the hypothesis is that the willingness to work of the self-support program participants would be different according to their duration of program participation. The Survey was conducted participants in 11 local self-support center of Incheon Metropolitan city in the year 2013 and 2016. And it has been analyzed the factors affecting the willingness to work of long-term and short-term participants. The results of this study are as follows. First, the factors affecting all participants's willingness to work ( or start-up) were gender, educational background, experience of employment or start-up, availability of self-support allowance, familiarity with local self-support center's staff, attitude toward work, period of self-support subject participated. Second, long-term participants were affected by disability, educational background, experience of employment or start-up, and availability of self-support allowance. Finally, in the case of short-term participants, it was found that educational background, experience of employment and start-up, availability of self-support allowance, family intimacy and intimacy with local self-support center's staff were influenced.