This study redefines care as a 'productive investment' contributing to employment, growth, and distribution, and aims to develop a Korean model to analyze its economic effects. The first-year research established the concept and scope of the care economy and piloted a macro Social Accounting Matrix (SAM). Empirical analysis using OECD SOCX data confirmed that care expenditure generates substantial income and employment effects, demonstrating that care investment brings positive spillover effects beyond welfare. This study provides policy grounds for re-evaluating care as social infrastructure. Future research will expand to include distributional and gender effects through micro SAM analysis and policy simulations.
This study was conducted to diagnose the grand challenges in the health and welfare sector arising from demographic changes and socio-economic transitions facing Korean society, and to explore integrated and sustainable policy alternatives based on in-depth analysis. To this end, a comprehensive analytical approach was employed, including a review of relevant literature, empirical data analysis, and expert consultations incorporating perspectives from academia and policy practice.
The findings indicate that addressing complex and interrelated policy challenges requires moving beyond fragmented, institution-centered approaches and instead adopting an integrated policy framework organized around functions and roles.
This study identifies the key features of the community health care models practiced by selected Health Welfare Social Cooperatives in Korea. Based on field experiences, domestic and international cases, and a survey on residents' perceptions, it derives that comprehensive primary care and resident participation are the core elements of the community health care model that our society should pursue.
This report aims to empirically analyze income volatility and explore social policy responses in the face of increasing employment and income instability driven by diversifying work arrangements and employment types. Using data from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey, the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study, and administrative panel data on Employment Insurance beneficiaries, the study tracks long-term changes in income seasonality as well as within-year and year-to-year income volatility at both individual and household levels. Based on the findings, the report proposes sophisticated and timely social policy interventions tailored to the specific characteristics of different groups, such as flexible adjustment of policy timing, strengthening countercyclical social safety nets, and establishing a foundation for real-time income monitoring.
In 2025, South Korea officially became a super-aged society. While the demand for Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs) is expected to rise due to the increasing elderly population requiring chronic care, the current system suffers from ambiguous boundaries between medical treatment and long-term care. This ambiguity has led to functional overlaps with nursing facilities and inefficiencies in the delivery system. Furthermore, the prevalence of "social admissions"―where patients are hospitalized for caregiving or housing needs rather than medical necessity―poses a significant financial burden on the National Health Insurance (NHI). Against this backdrop, this study aims to provide evidentiary support and foundational data for improving the LTCH system, focusing on redefining LTCHs as medical institutions and ensuring the sustainability of the healthcare system.
This study analyzes how the expansion of centrally driven statutory plans in the social services sector has led to fragmented planning systems and structurally constrained local governments’ autonomy and implementation capacity. Based on these findings, it proposes institutional reforms to reorganize planning structures and strengthen local governments’ substantive planning autonomy and effectiveness.
This study identifies vulnerabilities of single-person households with disabilities and proposes care policy directions. These households maintain long-term solo living and face social isolation, care gaps, and kinlessness risks, requiring an integrated approach.
Literature review and quantitative-qualitative analysis revealed that life satisfaction is determined by complex interactions among economic, health, and housing factors. Daily living difficulties, old-age anxiety, and economic instability were high, intensifying with age. Groups with high support needs and poor health were identified as high-risk, while regional disparities indicated the need for tailored support.
The study proposes Korean adaptation of the UK's Universal Basic Services (UBS) and the US's Ecosystems of Care model.
Missing data is an inherent challenge in the Korea Health Panel Survey (KHPS). Currently, researchers must apply their own criteria for handling the problem of missing data, highlighting the need for multifaceted research.
This study aims to enhance KHPS data quality by analyzing the status of missing data. By examining data collection processes, seeking optimal imputation methods, and evaluating the feasibility of providing imputed data, this research seeks to ensure the provision of more precise and reliable datasets.
Social isolation and loneliness are emerging as new social risks. Along the pathway from the rise of single-person households and solitary living to lonely death, social isolation lies at the core. This study examines current policies along the pathway through which loneliness deepens social isolation, and proposes policy strategies to address social isolation from a life-course perspective, in which risks and vulnerabilities accumulate across the lifespan.
Data drift refers to the phenomenon where the statistical properties of the data used to train machine learning models shift over time. This study examines the unique characteristics of various types of data drift and provides a systematic evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of different detection methodologies. Furthermore, through simulations utilizing public administrative datasets, the research proposes practical measures to enhance the reliability and sustainability of data-driven governance within the health and welfare domain.
