Shaping and Reshaping Care and Migration in East and Southeast Asia

Abstract

This article examines how culture, institution, and social policies interact to shape national approaches to care and the use of migrant care workers. I compare Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore to show variations in approaches to care and migration despite their cultural similarities. Through a conceptual framework that intersects culture, institution and policy I identify a spectrum of approaches that are evident across East Asia, ranging from highly regulated institutional to very liberal market oriented. The analysis shows that cultural, institutional and socio-economic factors are continuously interacting with each other to shape national understandings of care and the use of foreign care workers, and that different policies interact with each other referentially as they develop and affect social and cultural norms through policy feedback.