著者

チェ ヨンジュン

出版者

社会政策学会

雑誌

社会政策学会誌

巻号頁・発行日

vol.19, pp.91-117, 2008

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This article argues that pension developments and reforms in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have been largely influenced by different national business structures and business influences. While labour power in these states has been particularly weak compared to western countries, the interaction between business and state/political sphere offers the key explanation for developments in pension systems. Before the 1990s, the development of occupational retirement benefits and the preference for funded social insurance pensions in Japan and South Korea, in contrast to Taiwan, are well explained by the export-oriented and conglomerate-oriented business structures. Since around 1990, increased business influence has been found in the consecutive retrenchment pension reforms and reforms of corporate pension schemes in Japan and South Korea. Also, different business structures and power provide the explanation for the different trajectories in Korean and Taiwanese pension development in recent years despite their similar political institutions and experiences. Finally, this paper suggests that further research on East Asian welfare regimes should pay more attention to business influences.