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Labour market reforms in Japan and the Republic of Korea: A comparative case study of policy‐making in the 2000s
Author(s) -
Yun JiWhan
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international labour review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.433
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1564-913X
pISSN - 0020-7780
DOI - 10.1111/j.1564-913x.2011.00124.x
Subject(s) - liberalization , legislature , economics , dual (grammatical number) , development economics , economic system , political science , market economy , art , literature , law
. As from the late 1990s, Japan and the Republic of Korea embarked upon labour market reforms that have often been presented as a simple process of flexibilization. Taking Polanyi's perspective of “double movement”, however, this paper explores how these countries combined “more market” with the pursuit of social stability. Reviewing legislative activities concerned with employment liberalization and income maintenance, the author analyses the different approaches taken by Japan and Korea in reforming their dual labour markets. In conclusion, he argues that their divergent reform paths originated in differences between the two countries' policy‐making mechanisms and environments.