National Basic Livelihood Security System Research Articles

The Influence of the 2015 Welfare Reform of the National Basic Livelihood Security System on Material Hardship among the Poor

The Influence of the 2015 Welfare Reform of the National Basic Livelihood Security System on Material Hardship among the Poor

Does poverty alleviation help enhance social investment? The case of South Korea

ABSTRACT Using the 2015 Korean Welfare Panel Study data and a regression discontinuity design, this study examines the effects of the National Basic Livelihood Security System (NBLSS) participation on social investment through evaluating its impact on changes in family consumption patterns. We find that NBLSS participation was associated with increased educational expenditures. The effects were larger for households with an elementary or junior-high school student than those with a high school or college student. We also find that NBLSS participation reduced medical expenditures for households with seniors, members with chronic diseases, and members with a physical disability, most likely due to the in-kind healthcare services.

The 2015 welfare reform of the National Basic Livelihood Security System in South Korea: Effects on economic outcomes

In July 2015, South Korea’s National Basic Livelihood Security System (NBLSS) was reformed for the purposes of eliminating welfare blind spots and reducing poverty. The reform is expected to affect the recipients’ economic behaviours and choices. In this study, we used changes in benefits and eligibility for the NBLSS under the customised benefit system to identify the effects of the change in the NBLSS on a proposed set of economic outcomes – income, labour supply, consumption, savings, poverty reduction. To estimate the effects, we used data from the 10th–12th waves of the Korea Welfare Panel Study and employed a difference‐in‐differences framework integrated with the propensity scores. We found that the NBLSS helps the poor to reduce financial and material hardships through income and consumption increments, but that it does not provide disincentives to the recipients from participating in the labour market or from saving.

미취학자녀가 있는 국민기초생활보장제도 수급 대상 다문화가족 결혼이주여성의 생활만족도 관련 변인

This study examined the related factors of life satisfaction of married immigrant women with preschool children who are recipients of the National Basic Livelihood Security System. For this purpose, we drew data from the 2015 National Survey on Multi-cultural Families (NSMF). The target group was married immigrant women with preschool children who benefited from the National Basic Livelihood Security System (N=114). We used OLS regression to analyze the related factors of life satisfaction of the target group with the SPSS 23.0 program. The results are as follows. First, married immigrant women with preschool children who benefited from the National Basic Livelihood Security System were in their 30s and had maintained their marriage for about 8 years. The average monthly family income was below $900 and over half of them were not employed. They thought that they were healthy and were satisfied with their everyday lives. Even thought they had conflict with their spouses, they were satisfied with their spousal relationship and their spouse’s child care roles. They supported assimilation to Korean culture and their level of Korean language proficiency was at an intermediate level. Second, all independent variables explained 56% of life satisfaction in married immigrant women with preschool children who benefited from the National Basic Livelihood Security System. Satisfaction with spousal relationship and subjective health were positively associated with life satisfaction for married immigrant women. However, assimilation to Korean culture was negatively associated with life satisfaction for them. Findings of this study can provide implications for family life education programs and family policy within a multi-cultural society.

A Study on Living Conditions of the Elderly Receiving National Basic Livelihood Security System: Focusing on Comparing them with Other Elderly Not Receiving It

A Study on Living Conditions of the Elderly Receiving National Basic Livelihood Security System: Focusing on Comparing them with Other Elderly Not Receiving It

A Study on the Improvement Transforming Characteristics of the Revised Housing Benefit

본 논문은 지난 1여년간 개편된 주거급여의 제도적 특성은 무엇이며 그로 인해 변화한 결과, 그리고 한계와 미비점은 무엇인가를 밝히는 것이다. 제도 개편 후 주거급여는 지원 대상자의 범위가 확대되고 주거급여 보장수준도 확대되어 수급자의 임대료 부담 완화와 주거 수준 향상에 기여하였다. 그러나 당초 시행 전 예상했던 주거급여 수급자 97만 가구 목표 지원에 비한다면 실제 급여 수급자는 80만 가구여서, 제도 개편 전에서 비하여 10만 가구의 증가에 그치고 있다. 제도 개편의 가장 큰 목적 중의 하나였던 정책 사각 지대를 좁이는 문제는 아직 해결되지는 않고 있다고 볼 수 있으며, 탈주거빈곤문제도 과제로 남겨져 있다. 임차 급여의 임대료 부담 완화 효과는 있었지만 아직까지 수급자의 절반 가량이 임대료 과부담이라는 점에서 향후 임대료 부담 수준을 더 완화하는 방안이 필요하다. 또한 개편 제도의 시행 1년차에 사용대차 지급 원칙, 임차료 검증문제, 수선유지급여의 실시와 관려한 부분들이 제도적 미비점을 나타났다. 따라서 향후 주거급여는 이러한 제도적 미비점을 개선해 나가면서 주거급여 제도의 난해성, 임대료 부담 기준 부재, 열악한 거주 여건은 향후 주거급여의 성장과 발전을 위한 선결 과제라 할 수 있다. 공공협력형 주거급여 전달 체계는 보장기관과 전담기관간의 원활한 협력과 교류로 주택 조사의 범위를 넘어 수급자의 상향 주거이동 연계 지원과 탈주거빈곤을 유도하여 주거 자립화를 지원할 수 있도록 보다 강화할 필요가 있다.The purpose of this study is to examine the transforming characteristics of the housing benefit system that was revised with the introduction of customized benefit system and to investigate the revised housing benefit s changed effect and limitations over the past one year. The revised housing benefit system has redesigned for expanding the coverage of beneficiaries eligibility criteria, alleviating rent overburden and improving their housing quality. Though increasing the number of recipients over the past year, the number of recipients receiving housing benefit (800,000 households) falls short of the government target of 970,000 households. One of the main purposes of the revision was to reduce the blind spot of National Basic Livelihood Security System, but these transformation has done little to achieve that goal. Housing poverty is another problem to be solved. Although the revised housing benefit system has helped alleviate rent overburden for recipients to some extent, about half of the housing benefit recipients are still suffering the pressure of rent burden. Poor housing conditions did not also be improved. Limitations such as rent-free recipients, rent verification, and in-kind support revealed in the implementation. To resolve these issues, central government need to simplify the current housing benefit system, define affordable rent burden criteria, improve housing quality and institutional imperfections. In addition, local government and LH as authorized housing inspector involved in the delivery of housing benefit services should actively cooperate and communicate with one another for not only conducting housing investigation, but also assisting housing benefit recipients out of housing poverty and help them move up the housing ladder.

Disability, poverty, and role of the basic livelihood security system on health services utilization among the elderly in South Korea

With rapid aging, many of the elderly suffer from poverty and high healthcare needs. In Korea, there is a means-tested and non-contributory public assistance, the National Basic Livelihood Security System (NBLSS). The purpose of this study is to show older population's condition of disability and poverty, to evaluate the impact of NBLSS on health services utilization, and to examine the differential effect of the NBLSS by disability status among the elderly. This study used the Korea Welfare Panel Study data 2005–2014 with the final sample of 40,365, who were 65 years and older. The participants were divided into people with mild disability, severe disability, and without disability according to the Korean disability registration system. The income-level was defined to the low-income with NBLSS, the low-income without NBLSS, and the middle and high income, using the relative poverty line as a proxy of the low-income. The dependent variables were the number of outpatient visits and inpatient days, experience of home care services, total healthcare expenditure, and financial burden of healthcare expenditure. We performed Generalized Estimating Equations population-averaged model using the ten years of panel data. The result showed that within the same disability status, the low-income without NBLSS group used the least amount of inpatient care, but their financial burden of health expenditure was the highest among the three income groups. The regression model showed that if the elderly with severe disability were in the low-income without NBLSS, they reduced the outpatient and inpatient days; but their financial burden of healthcare became intensified. This study shows that the low-income elderly with disability but without adequate social protection are the most disadvantaged group. Policy is called for to mitigate the difficulties of this vulnerable population.

Applying Regression Discontinuity Design to Social Policy: An Evaluation of the Welfare-to-Work Program in South Korea

Social policy studies focusing on poverty reduction attempt to measure poverty reductions rates and poverty gaps, but they do not provide criteria to determine whether a given social policy is a success or failure. In this study, we suggest using regression discontinuity design to establish evaluation criteria and validate estimation results in social programs. Using the dataset from the Korean Welfare Panel, first we conduct, first, a difference-in-differences comparison between welfare recipients under the National Basic Livelihood Security system and nonrecipients whose income falls under the minimum cost of living. Secondly, we establish the counterfactual effects of the program among nonrecipients whose income is below the minimum cost of living and among nonrecipients whose income is above the minimum cost of living. Last, we analyze treatment effects by comparing welfare recipients with income below the minimum cost of living and nonrecipients with income above the minimum cost of living using the regression distribution design method. We argue that the National Basic Livelihood Security system as a welfare-to-work program has positive effects on labor market participation, which has not been established by previous studies.

SOCIAL SERVICES FOR THE PEOPLE AND COLLEGE STUDENTS IN SOUTH KOREA

The main aim of the present study is the consideration of social services for population and students in South Korea. This article, on the basis of the research literature and the policy of South Korea government, contains information about the universality of social services for the National Basic Livelihood Security System and the Department of Population Health, as well as providing care for children and infants, student’s scholarship policy and the future of the problems in this area. The study identified the following challenges for the future: improvement of the quality of service and the expansion of services; improvement of the systems for mobilizing resources for the provision of social services; the role of the government and the private sector in the quality and efficiency of the social services; improvement of the working conditions and creating new workplaces.

Factors Influencing Intentions of Recipients with Disability of National Basic Livelihood Security System to Break Away From Receiving Services

본 연구에서는 제6차 장애인고용패널 자료를 이용하여 장애인 수급자를 대상으로 기초생활보장제도 수급탈피 의향에 미치는 영향요인들을 분석하고 정책적 시사점을 탐색하고자 하였다. 분석결과, 남성이 여성에 비해서 수급탈피 의향이 높으며, 고등학교졸업이상의 학력이 중졸이하의 학력에 비해 수급탈피의향이 높고, 고용서비스경험이 있을수록 수급탈피의향이 높은 것으로 나타났다. 반면에 연령이 높을수록 수급탈피의향이 낮으며, 장애유형이 정신장애일 때는 신체외부장애에 비해서 수급탈피 의향이 낮은 것으로 나타났다. 아울러 고용서비스경험이 수급탈피의향에 미치는 효과는 학력이 높을수록 더 크게 나타나는 것으로 나타났다. 이와 같은 분석을 토대로 장애인의 수급탈피 의향을 고양하기 위한 근로연계복지정책 강화, 교육 접근성 제고, 고용 서비스 확충방안 등을 제언하였다.The study analyze factors influencing intentions of recipients of National Basic Livelihood Security System with disability to break away from receiving the social welfare services using data of the 6th Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled(PSED) and explores policy implications. The results indicate that a high level of education positively influences intention of recipients to break away from receiving the social welfare services, and a rise of age negatively influences. In addition, the experience of job training and the number of certificates positively influence intention of recipients to break away from receiving services. Based on these results, the study suggests reinforcing welfare to work policies, enhancing access to education, and expending programs for job training in order to promote intention of recipients to break away from receiving services.

Analysis of the Determinants of the Cost of Funeral and Method of Bury Deceased Beneficiary in National Basic Livelihood Security System

Analysis of the Determinants of the Cost of Funeral and Method of Bury Deceased Beneficiary in National Basic Livelihood Security System

Impact of social assistance on income and consumption: An analysis of the National Basic Livelihood Security System in South Korea

This study evaluates how the National Basic Livelihood Security system (NBLS hereafter), the basis of the South Korean welfare system, affects household income and consumption. NBLS, established in 2000 after the Asian financial crisis of 1997, targets all social strata by supplementing low-income earners and providing a welfare-to-work program. By adopting the regression discontinuity design approach and income- and consumption-based measures in accordance with the main features of NBLS, the presented evaluation results allow us to find that recipients show similar levels of market income, NBLS income (the sum of market income and NBLS pay), disposable income, and consumption expenditure. By using RDD, this study thus concludes that NBLS affects the income and consumption of recipients in Korea.

The Relationship between Type D Personality and Suicidality in Low-Income, Middle-Aged Adults.

ObjectiveLow-income adults are considered to be a group at high risk for suicide. We sought to examine the effect of type D personality and other socio-demographic factors on suicidality in low-income, middle-aged Koreans.MethodsIn total, 306 low-income, middle-aged Koreans [age: 49.16±5.24 (40-59) years, 156 males, 150 females] were enrolled from the Korean National Basic Livelihood Security System. Socio-demographic data, including employment status, income, health, marital status, and educational attainment, were gathered. Beck's 19-item Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI) was applied to evaluate suicidality, and the DS14 was used to assess type D personality.ResultsUnemployment (p<0.01) and absence of spouse (p=0.03) predicted higher SSI scores independent of other socioeconomic factors. All type D personality scores [i.e., negative affectivity (NA), social inhibition (SI), and total score] predicted higher SSI scores independent of all socioeconomic factors (all, p<0.001). Subjects with type D personality had higher SSI scores (p<0.001), and the association between suicidality and socio-demographic factors (employment or physical health) could be found only in subjects without type D personality.ConclusionType D personality was a risk factor for suicide in low-income Koreans, independently from socio-economic factors. In addition, the socio-demographic factors were less prominently associated with suicidality in those with type D personality.

The Effect of National Basic Livelihood Security System on the of Social Trust Formation

The Effect of National Basic Livelihood Security System on the of Social Trust Formation

The Clash between Social Policy and Traditional Values: Unmet Welfare Needs Sustained by the Culture of Familism in South Korea

Drawing from a wider study of the ideas of poverty and inequality in South Korea, this paper reports on the lived experiences of disadvantaged South Koreans and their relationship to the National Basic Livelihood Security System (NBLSS), a flagship social assistance program aimed at addressing poverty and inequality. Utilizing a cultural approach to understanding and analysing policy responses to poverty, the impact of familism in the application of the NBLSS safety net is examined. Research data is presented through the testimonies, obtained through qualitative research interviews, of disadvantaged research participants and those who work with them, as well as policy‐makers' perspectives, revealing key flaws in the current NBLSS policy objectives. It is clearly evident that, by clinging to outdated Confucian conceptualizations of familial piety as a justification for highly selectivist access to what is no more than a subsistence level of financial support for poor people, the proposition of a poverty safety net is compromised and is widely missing its aim of reducing poverty and inequality in contemporary South Korea.

The Effects of National Basic Livelihood Security System on its Recipients' Saving

The Effects of National Basic Livelihood Security System on its Recipients' Saving

The effects of using the National Basic Livelihood Security System in reducing economic hardship

The effects of using the National Basic Livelihood Security System in reducing economic hardship

The Effects of Depressive Symptoms on Work Activities and Welfare Exit of Welfare Recipients in Korea1

The purpose of this research is to examine the link between depressive symptoms of welfare recipients and their work activity and welfare exit using a secondary dataset, entitled the Korean Welfare Panel Study. In 2000, the National Basic Livelihood Security System (NBLSS) was introduced to (i) ensure a basic standard of living for households in poverty, and (ii) promote work activity and welfare exit of the recipients. A considerable body of literature has reported that the policy outcome of the NBLSS is not a success. However, the reason for the low success rate is unclear. In contrast to studies in the USA, few studies in Korea investigated the effect of depression on welfare-to-work transitions. To bridge the gap in the literature, we examine the association between depression, work activity, and welfare exit using a logistic regression analytic method. The analytic results show that the level of depression (total score on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) was negatively associated with welfare recipients’ work activity and welfare exit, suggesting that depressive symptoms may be a significant barrier to promoting economic self-sufficiency. Implications of the study findings are further discussed.

Contestations over rights: from establishment to implementation of the National Basic Livelihood Security System in South Korea

International human rights are implanted in specific social, political and cultural contexts within which the rights are interpreted and contested by different social actors. This contribution examines contestations over the right to social security in South Korean society through the example of a social assistance system. It draws attention to how the state had long promoted an individual and familial duty of welfare support, and how South Korean non-governmental organisations (NGOs) utilised human rights language to enhance state welfare responsibility. It then examines how legal rights are interpreted, administrated, and contested at the micro level through interactions among different actors, such as claimants and welfare officials.

The National Basic Livelihood Security System and the Responsibility of the Parliament

The National Basic Livelihood Security System and the Responsibility of the Parliament