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The East Asian welfare regime: reality or fiction

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  • Sarah Kuypers

Abstract

Recently the debate on the existence of a homogeneous East Asian welfare regime gained prominence because the region is experiencing changes in the fundamentals of its welfare system. Although the majority of the literature builds upon the assumption that there is indeed a fourth welfare type in the region, few empirically investigate whether these countries could formally be regarded as actual ‘Confucian’, ‘productivist’ or ‘developmental’ welfare states. In a detailed, but yet encompassing, analysis this paper investigates first and foremost if the East Asian countries are in fact welfare states and secondly to what extent these countries constitute one homogeneous fourth welfare type, differing from the traditional and other emerging welfare regimes. In order to study the latter a fuzzy set ideal type analysis is carried out. The paper demonstrates that the presence of welfare characteristics in the region cannot be denied. The term ‘welfare state’, however, appears to be too strong because the state itself is responsible for very little welfare creation. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the dissimilarities within the East Asian region are minor compared to the differences with respect to the traditional and other emerging welfare regimes. Therefore, this paper pleads in favor of the existence of one overarching East Asian welfare regime.

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Kuypers, 2014. "The East Asian welfare regime: reality or fiction," Working Papers 1404, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
  • Handle: RePEc:hdl:wpaper:1404
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    File URL: https://medialibrary.uantwerpen.be/oldcontent/container2453/files/CSB%20WP%202014/CSB_WP_14_04.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wood, Geof & Gough, Ian, 2006. "A Comparative Welfare Regime Approach to Global Social Policy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 1696-1712, October.
    2. Kvist, Jon, 2007. "Fuzzy set ideal type analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 60(5), pages 474-481, May.
    3. Ragin, Charles C., 2000. "Fuzzy-Set Social Science," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226702773, April.
    4. Ian Holliday, 2000. "Productivist Welfare Capitalism: Social Policy in East Asia," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 48(4), pages 706-723, September.
    5. Yeun-wen Ku, 1997. "Welfare Capitalism in Taiwan," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-37787-5, December.
    6. Didier Jacobs, 1998. "Social Welfare Systems in East Asia: A Comparative Analysis including Private Welfare," CASE Papers case10, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    7. repec:ucp:bkecon:9780226702766 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Mumtaz, Zahid & Roumpakis, Antonios & Sumarto, Mulyadi, 2023. "Overcoming hybridisation in global welfare regime classifications: lessons from a single case study," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 120761, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Confucianism; East Asia; Fuzzy set ideal type analysis; productivism; social and economic policy; welfare states;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H5 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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