Work

Working poverty and anti-poverty policy in four East Asian societies

Year: 2022

Type: book-chapter

Abstract: "Working poverty" occurs when market labor earnings plus post-market transfers together do not provide adequate resources to reach a minimal standard of living. This chapter overviews working poverty and social policy aimed to address it in four East Asian societies: Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. For each society, we survey major policies that could reduce working poverty: minimum wages, social insurance programs, earnings supplementation and means-tested social assistance. Estimates of working poverty rates range from 3.7% in Taiwan, a society that combines a high minimum wage with access to social assistance, to 10.8% in Japan, a society that includes the working poor in social insurance programs without allowing for their distinct economic needs. Hong Kong and Korea both supplement the incomes of working poor households - with a cash allowance and earned income credit, respectively. This range of policy approaches shows diversity in welfare state evolution.

Source: Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks

DOI: 10.4337/9781800888982.00010

Authors: Aya Abe, Yu-Ling Chang, Ji Young Kang, Jennifer Romich, Julia Shu-Huah Wang

Institutions: Chungnam National University, University of Washington, Tokyo Metropolitan University, University of Hong Kong, University of California, Berkeley

Language: English

Topic: Social Policy and Reform Studies

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: No poverty, Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: bronze

OpenAlex ID: W4323529337