Starting from the recognition that distributive justice and social cohesion are the driving force for sustainable development of Korean society and economy, our research team and the center (Center for Distributive Justice in the Institute of Economic ...
Starting from the recognition that distributive justice and social cohesion are the driving force for sustainable development of Korean society and economy, our research team and the center (Center for Distributive Justice in the Institute of Economic Research at Seoul National University) has set “distributive justice, diversity of members and social cohesion” as the fundamental research topic. Sociologist Emile Durkheim emphasized the realization of justice as the moral basis of organic solidarity. The inclusive growth strategy that solidarity and integration among members through distributive justice is necessary for sustainable economic development is also a new economic development strategy that major international organizations such as the OECD, IMF, and World Bank are emphasizing in common. In this context, the OECD also suggested that social cohesion through resolving inequality problems, resolving employment instability, equal opportunity for education, and expansion of welfare spending is an important condition for the Korean economy to maintain long-term sustainable growth. The vision of the center and research team is to contribute to the sustainable development of Korean society by understanding various problems facing our society in relation to distributive justice and social integration through performing academic research and delivering policy and institutional measures to solve these problems.
In order to realize the vision and goals of the center and research team, and to achieve sustainability as a large research center, the research team avoided a limited research group centered on small task-oriented topics and instead organized our members to cope with a wide range of social issues related to distribution justice and social integration. Our team is composed of Korea's top multidisciplinary experts in Economics, Sociology, Social Welfare, and Pedagogy. They were organized into the four core topics below to materialize the vision and goals of the center.
Area (i) “Distributive Justice and Fair Distribution Theory” deals with theoretical studies on distributive justice and fair allocation. Basic research tasks in the field of economic theory on distributive justice and fair allocation were carried out as detailed tasks. More than four papers were published annually in top-ranked international academic journals, which proves high productivity in terms of both quality and quantity. We believe that in this area, the center is among the best in Korea and moreover comparable to that of the research centers of world-class universities.
Area (ii) “Income Distribution and Political Economy” deals with empirical and policy studies on issues of inequality and economic polarization. Research on the inequalities of income, assets, health, education, etc. and the effects of socioeconomic background factors on personal achievements were carried out, and the results were published in renowned domestic and international academic journals.
Area (iii) “Equality of Opportunity and Coexistence” deals with the issues of equality of opportunity and coexistence in a multicultural society. Detailed tasks were carried out on the topics of inequality of opportunity in Korean elementary and secondary education and university entrance exams, and the inclusion of multicultural minorities and the socially underprivileged. Considering marriage migrant women and migrant workers, we have identified some conditions leading to major problems of integration in Korean society and developed an empowerment scale in relation to them. Major achievements were published in domestic academic journals and books.
Area (iv) “Social Integration and Welfare” deals with issues of social integration among migrant workers, marriage migrants, and North Korean defectors, as well as social policies for multicultural families. In addition, research was conducted focusing on topics related to childcare, lifelong education etc.
The research team's agenda was established in various areas such as economy, education, labor, social welfare, and politics to achieve excellent research results. Objectively comparing the achievements of the past four years, the team's performance is not only the highest in Korea but also the highest among similar-sized overseas university research institutes. For example, in the fourth year, 14 books were published in a renowned international journal, 33 in a Korean journal, and eight books. In particular, the strengths of this research group, which is distinguished from other research institutes, are that it has the ability to conduct research using various and layered methodologies such as basic theory of social science, specific policy research, empirical research, and experimental research. In addition, based on active academic exchanges through domestic and international research networks, it has laid the foundation for establishing itself as Korea's leading social science research center.