New and old social risks in Korean social policy: the case of the National Pension Scheme

This is a study of old and new social risks in Korean social policy, in relation to the National Pension Scheme (NPS). It provides a comprehensive overview of the Korean pension structure and the emergence of new social risk groups. Based on the Korean Labour and Income Panel Study undertaken over eleven years and using bivariate and multivariate analysis, this thesis examines the effectiveness of the NPS and its reforms in protecting new social risk groups. The analytical framework of this thesis is based on the New Social Risk theory. Its limitation in explaining developing welfare states like Korea is also highlighted. Over the past two decades, the NPS has undergone dramatic financial cuts as its coverage expands rapidly. Given Korea’s aging population, the reliance on such public schemes will further increase, which will have a profound impact particularly, on those with low income. Societal and economic changes in the Korean society, as a result of de-industrialisation, have given rise to new social risks groups that differ from those that predominate in the post-war welfare era. These new groups are vulnerable because they cannot afford to contribute to their pension even during their working life with the likelihood that they will have little or no benefit from the NPS when they retire. They tend to be the atypical contract holders and workers of small-scale enterprises without unions. Contrary to expectation, women with care responsibility and young workers are less vulnerable

Development of the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences Guideline for Rating the Impairment in the Brain Injured and Brain Diseased Persons with Motor Dysfunction

To develop an objective and scientific method to evaluate the brain injured and brain diseased persons with motor dysfunction, American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment was used as an exemplar. After the motor dysfunction due to brain injury or brain disease was confirmed, active range of motion and muscle strength of affected extremities were measured. Also, the total function of extremities was evaluated through the assessment of activities of daily living, fine coordination of hand, balance and gait. Then, the total score of manual muscle test and functional assessment of impaired upper and lower extremity were added, respectively. Spasticity of upper and lower extremity was used as minus factors. Patients with movement disorder such as Parkinson's disease were assessed based on the degree of dysfunction in response to medication. We develop a new rating system based on the concept of total score

How portable is social security for migrant workers? A review of the literature

This article reviews the recent literature on existing mechanisms that allow for the portability of social security entitlements for migrant workers and finds that North–North migrants have the best access to portability. There is limited coordination between origin and destination countries regarding the portability of social entitlements of South–North migrants. These migrants are dealing with discourses and policies that treat them as second class citizens, even as they are providing much-needed labour to their host countries. South–South migrants are seeing new regional mechanisms addressing portability. However, many of the impacts of these mechanisms are not yet known. Other knowledge gaps on portability relate to internal and South–South migration, the role of gender and other social identities, migrants’ occupations as well as their legal immigration status