2010, Vol.17, No.3

Korea Social Policy Review 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 2.47

pISSN : 1226-0525
https://journal.kci.go.kr/kasp

The aim of this article is to examine policy of reduction and exemption of social security contribution(SSC) in Germany and to have the implication for National Pension. Germany and Belgium in Bismarkian welfare states have been executing the policy of reduction and exemption of SSC for some marginalized people. There is refund policy of SSC for low income people in Belgium. Also, this policy is carried out for mini-job or midi-job in Germany. In Korea, the policy is partially executed for some marginalized people in National Health Insurance and National Pension. That is, the policy of reduction and exemption of SSC has been carried out for different target groups among marginalized people in OECD countries. Thus, in new social risks and recent economic crisis, the policy of reduction and exemption of SSC in Germany suggests that policy of reduction and exemption of SSC for low income people in National Pension will help to expand the coverage of National Pension and strength old- ages income security in the long run.

The study attempts to critically review the concepts and premises of 'new aging' policy narratives specially focused on active aging, successful aging and productive aging. The 'new aging' policy has been vesting large power since the years of 2000 on international directions of aging policy and on national policies and legitimacies as well in the change of contemporary welfare states. However, it is evaluated that the 'new aging' narratives are functioning as a means of social engineering regardless of needs and interests of older people themselves. In particular, the narratives restrict socially valued definition of aging by presenting economic initiatives and normatively narrow standards, which precludes many elders in diverse condition who can not fulfill the standards. Based on the review, several suggestions are presented such as securing the labour right of the elderly based on universal social right, reflecting experiences and needs of the elderly on the formation and decision of aging policy, and pursuing alternative policy narratives on aging. The guiding narratives have a high risk to encroach social rights of the elderly as result.

There happened some problems of pushing out too many care-woker certificates and low quality of care-jobs as the long-term care insurance started since 2008 in Korea. There are crises of care workers, mismatches between the increasing demand and diminishing supply in developed countries as well. The most important cause is change in age structure of population. The institutions and policies, however, can make differences. Denmark has attained high quality of service and good care jobs by combining jobs with education and training, while France created care jobs for the low-skilled. Korea should be in the middle of Denmark and France because there are large supply pool of latent care-workers and increasing demand for good service quality. We should enforce the minimum standards of education and training system and ensure the minimum of working conditions of care-jobs which require more close and delicate monitoring and evaluation system of government.