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[6th EAI Academy] IV. Generational Inequality and Political Reform
Editor's Note
Professor Cheol-seung Lee of Sogang University points out that the industrialization generation, who internalized the cultural legacy of the rice-farming system, formed strong intra-generational networks and established seniority-based systems, creating the origins of today's generational inequality. He also analyzes that the inverted pyramid population structure due to declining birth rates is exacerbating this inequality. To resolve this, he proposes transitioning from seniority-based systems centered on age to job-based systems centered on job competency, while simultaneously lowering the barriers to entry into the labor market for the younger generation through labor market flexibility and expanding welfare systems to compensate for the accompanying employment instability.
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJNEdq010gA
■ Cheol-seung Lee_Professor of Sociology, Sogang University.
Video Transcript
The fundamental premise of a welfare state is labor market flexibility. Few people talk about this. A welfare state, labor market flexibility, and a job-based system always go together. If any one of these three is missing, none of them can function. This is the concept of institutionalism. They are all institutionally intertwined. What is the fundamental premise of a welfare state? It's to cover the insecurity that arises in the labor market with employment insurance, isn't it? For that to happen, there must be insecurity. But as I mentioned earlier, if there is security like this, then it moves to this model. This old model is a model that allows for freedom of dismissal. Dismissal is free, but on the other hand, it ensures that one can always get a job again. It's not about ALM (Active Labor Market Policies), but rather a system where the state institutionally guarantees the time and training for people to return to the labor market when they leave it. This is the Nordic system. So, what does this mean? Labor market flexibility must be a prerequisite.
*This text is an AI translation of an original written in Korean. Some translations or nuances may be inaccurate.