Social Development and Welfare State Systems in Developing Countries in East Asia: A Comparative Study

Abstract

This study looks at the state of social development in developing countries, particularly in East Asia, applying a qualitative cum quantitative method, that is, a multiple case study analysis combined with social indicator analysis (hence applying method triangulation), with the aim to study the relative performance in social development and the development of welfare state systems in relation to the level of economic development. The study highlights the need for more research in the area of comparative social policy in developing countries in particular and normative social policy in general—in order to identify and learn from more positive (e.g. win-win) solutions, or positively outstanding cases, in international comparative normative social policy. In the four case studies under scrutiny, governments have scaled up social security coverage and demonstrated high levels of innovation in designing new institutions and the compilation of the overall welfare state system. The quantitative social indicator analysis, in addition, confirms that with regard to East Asian welfare state systems there is a greater number of positively outstanding (positively deviating) cases. The paper concludes that East Asian welfare state systems have their unique mix of welfare state institutions, unique overall welfare philosophy, and even uniquely developed welfare state instruments and designs, while also accomplishing positively outstanding performance in social development relative to their level of economic development.