Social care policies in East-Asia: reforms between state and market

Ito Peng and Izumi Niki

Chapter 22 in Research Handbook on Social Care Policy, 2025, pp 348-363 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Faced with rapidly ageing population and low fertility, and changes in family structures, gender relations and social norms about family care, the three East Asian countries of China, Japan and South Korea have expanded their social care programmes through active social investment policies and public financing. This chapter examines public debates and policy reforms regarding childcare and long-term care in the three countries. These include services paid for by public or private sources, such as publicly provided ECEC or LTC services; in cash benefits such as care allowances, vouchers or subsidies to families, out-of-pocket co-payments; or a combination of these payment forms. Our analysis shows that social care has become an important public policy agenda in all three countries as these demographic and socio-economic changes have made policy reforms imperative. We discuss the implications of policy changes for families, women and social and economic development in the three countries.

Keywords: Ageing and low-fertility society; Social care reform; Marketization; China; Japan; South Korea (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781839103681
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