Hyeok Yong Kwon
Biographic Data
| ID | 1534437 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hyeok Yong Kwon |
| GIVEN NAMES | Hyeok Yong |
| FAMILY NAME | Kwon |
| SIGNATURE | KWON H Y |
| AFFILIATIONS | Korea University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4986-4312 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 108 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 19 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Globalization, Automation, and the Welfare State: Evidence from the OECD and South Korea
How do subjective economic threats from globalization and technological changes shape social policy preferences? In this article, we argue that structural economic shifts increase subjective job insecurity. Consequently, individuals are more likely to seek immediate compensation for anticipated income and job losses, leading to a preference for short-term social consumption policies over social investment policies focused on long-term education a…
Labor Market Outsiders, the Self-Employed, and Partisan Politics
The self-employed population has grown significantly in recent decades due to rapid deindustrialization, increased immigration, and the rise of advanced platforms and the gig economy. This study explores potential conflicts between the self-employed and labor market outsiders, particularly regarding left-leaning parties’ pro-outsider policies. Right-leaning parties may strategically mobilize the self-employed against these policies, potentially f…
Partisan sorting, affective polarization, and democratic backsliding: Evidence from South Korea
Trust, institutional quality, and the protection of property rights: A cross‐regional study of East Asia and Western countries
Objective This article explores the conditions under which social trust enhances institutional performance, specifically the protection of property rights in Western versus East Asian countries over time. Methods We estimate fixed‐effects panel regression models to test how the relationship between trust and property rights protection is moderated by the quality of political institutions, including state capacity, the legal system, and democracy.…
Home Ownership, House Prices, and Belief in Meritocracy: Evidence from South Korea and 34 Countries
Do home ownership and house prices impact the shaping of individual perceptions on inequality and belief in meritocracy? We argue that home ownership and rising asset prices increase the salience of an individual’s own relative economic position, which in turn facilitates belief in meritocracy. We expect that, when house prices increase, homeowners are likely to strengthen their belief in meritocracy and defend their position by rationalizing tha…
Job insecurity, economic resources, and democratic backsliding: Evidence from South Korea
This study explores demand-side stories of democratic backsliding among citizens. We argue that individual job insecurity is associated with higher levels of support for strong leaders who are not committed to being subject to legislative checks and balances. Furthermore, we contend that this relationship is mitigated by higher asset levels and household income. In our analysis of Korea, we utilize data from the 2018 World Values Survey and the 2…
Electoral Politics and Old-Age Pension Reform in South Korea
This article explores the political underpinnings of pension reforms in post-democratization South Korea. Contrary to the view of the traditional literature on East Asian welfare states, we argue that electoral competition plays an important role in driving pension reforms, as tax-based old-age cash transfers were initiated by conservative parties, and implemented under the conservative government of Park Geun-hye in South Korea. When older voter…
Trust and the protection of property rights: Evidence from global regions
Union structure, bounded solidarity and support for redistribution: Implications for building a welfare state
This study unveils the effects of union structure – national, industrial and enterprise unionism – on the solidarity and redistribution preferences of workers. We argue that labor unions have varied scope and levels of solidarity as well as redistribution preferences because solidarity is not naturally given but tends to be cultivated by labor unions. In order to sustain commitment to egalitarian wages and redistributive social policies, a spirit…
Social investment in the knowledge-based economy: New politics and policies
This themed issue entitled Social Investment in the Knowledge-Based Economy aims to investigate desirable policy packages of social investment for the knowledge-based economy, the interactions between policy and economic inequality, and political and institutional configurations that shape policies. This introduction to our themed issue situates the contribution of the volume in the literature, summarizes the main findings and their implications,…
Employment insecurity and social policy: Preferences for investment vis-à-vis consumption
While existing studies on redistribution politics provide explanations of ‘who’ supports redistribution, we know very little about who supports ‘what’ type of redistribution. This omission is unfortunate because government spending has diverse functions and impacts, which are not differentiated in existing research. By capturing individual preferences for specific types of government policy under conditions of unemployment, we assess how economic…
Government Partisanship and Electoral Accountability: The Effect of Perceived Employment Situation on Partisan Vote Switching
What are the electoral impacts of perceptions of unemployment under different partisan persuasions of the government? Neither the literature on retrospective economic voting nor partisan voting has provided a compelling answer to this question. This paper addresses this puzzle by analyzing panel surveys and leveraging differences in government partisanship in two consecutive elections. I argue that negative evaluations of the employment situation…
The trust-eroding effect of perceived inequality: Evidence from East Asian new democracies
This paper examines the effect of citizens’ perceived salience of inequality on political trust in East Asian new democracies. The link between inequality and trust in new democracies has yet to receive appropriate attention in empirical research. We argue that citizens’ perceived salience of inequality has a trust-eroding effect where increasing inequality is a politically salient issue and there is a norm of fairness among the citizenry. When c…
Unequal New Democracies in East Asia: Rising Inequality and Government Responses in South Korea and Taiwan
This paper explores the growing trend in income inequality in Korea and Taiwan. The two recent East Asian democracies have witnessed rising inequality since the 1990s but with cross-national differences. We find that market inequality is higher in Taiwan than in Korea, yet the Taiwan government’s efforts to reduce this disparity are stronger than similar moves in Korea. By applying the logic of economic, social, and political effects, we find bot…
Economic perceptions and electoral choice in South Korea: The case of the 2007 presidential election
While the notion that subjective economic perceptions as well as objective economic conditions affect electoral outcomes has long been explored in advanced democracies and new democracies, evidence of the link between the economy and elections has been rarely found in East Asian countries. As economic issues have become salient since the 1997 financial crisis, political leaders’ capacity to manage the economy has become one of the most important …
Unemployment, Partisan Issue Ownership, and Vote Switching: Evidence from South Korea
How do voters respond to individual worries about the employment situation in elections? This paper examines the effect of issue salience of the employment situation on voter choice. Drawing theoretical insights from the partisan salience of issue voting theories, I argue that voters who previously supported parties on the right are likely to change their political allegiance to support a center-left party when they think the employment issue is …
A dynamic analysis of partisan voting: The issue salience effect of unemployment in South Korea
Targeting Public Spending in a New Democracy: Evidence from South Korea
Empirical studies of electoral competition and public policy in new democracies have been relatively underdeveloped. This article investigates the election-policy outcome link in a ‘hard case’ setting: South Korea in 1988–97. Contrary to expectations derived from the bureaucratic insulation or fiscal co-ordination argument, this study suggests a systematic impact of electoral competition on levels and distributive patterns of public spending. The…
Economic Reform and Democratization: Evidence from Latin America and Post-Socialist Countries
What are the political consequences of economic reform in new democracies? Is the effect of economic reform on democratization the same across regions? Some scholars of transitology argue that economic reform has negative consequences on democratization largely because the resistance of established groups can undermine democratization processes. Others, mainly scholars of the post-socialist region, argue that in the post-socialist region economic…
Targeting Public Spending in a New Democracy: Evidence from South Korea
Empirical studies of electoral competition and public policy in new democracies have been relatively underdeveloped. This article investigates the election-policy outcome link in a ‘hard case’ setting: South Korea in 1988–97. Contrary to expectations derived from the bureaucratic insulation or fiscal co-ordination argument, this study suggests a systematic impact of electoral competition on levels and distributive patterns of public spending. The…
Home Ownership, House Prices, and Belief in Meritocracy: Evidence from South Korea and 34 Countries
Do home ownership and house prices impact the shaping of individual perceptions on inequality and belief in meritocracy? We argue that home ownership and rising asset prices increase the salience of an individual’s own relative economic position, which in turn facilitates belief in meritocracy. We expect that, when house prices increase, homeowners are likely to strengthen their belief in meritocracy and defend their position by rationalizing tha…
Job insecurity, economic resources, and democratic backsliding: Evidence from South Korea
This study explores demand-side stories of democratic backsliding among citizens. We argue that individual job insecurity is associated with higher levels of support for strong leaders who are not committed to being subject to legislative checks and balances. Furthermore, we contend that this relationship is mitigated by higher asset levels and household income. In our analysis of Korea, we utilize data from the 2018 World Values Survey and the 2…
Unemployment, Partisan Issue Ownership, and Vote Switching: Evidence from South Korea
How do voters respond to individual worries about the employment situation in elections? This paper examines the effect of issue salience of the employment situation on voter choice. Drawing theoretical insights from the partisan salience of issue voting theories, I argue that voters who previously supported parties on the right are likely to change their political allegiance to support a center-left party when they think the employment issue is …
A dynamic analysis of partisan voting: The issue salience effect of unemployment in South Korea
Economic Reform and Democratization: Evidence from Latin America and Post-Socialist Countries
What are the political consequences of economic reform in new democracies? Is the effect of economic reform on democratization the same across regions? Some scholars of transitology argue that economic reform has negative consequences on democratization largely because the resistance of established groups can undermine democratization processes. Others, mainly scholars of the post-socialist region, argue that in the post-socialist region economic…
The trust-eroding effect of perceived inequality: Evidence from East Asian new democracies
This paper examines the effect of citizens’ perceived salience of inequality on political trust in East Asian new democracies. The link between inequality and trust in new democracies has yet to receive appropriate attention in empirical research. We argue that citizens’ perceived salience of inequality has a trust-eroding effect where increasing inequality is a politically salient issue and there is a norm of fairness among the citizenry. When c…
Economic perceptions and electoral choice in South Korea: The case of the 2007 presidential election
While the notion that subjective economic perceptions as well as objective economic conditions affect electoral outcomes has long been explored in advanced democracies and new democracies, evidence of the link between the economy and elections has been rarely found in East Asian countries. As economic issues have become salient since the 1997 financial crisis, political leaders’ capacity to manage the economy has become one of the most important …
Union structure, bounded solidarity and support for redistribution: Implications for building a welfare state
This study unveils the effects of union structure – national, industrial and enterprise unionism – on the solidarity and redistribution preferences of workers. We argue that labor unions have varied scope and levels of solidarity as well as redistribution preferences because solidarity is not naturally given but tends to be cultivated by labor unions. In order to sustain commitment to egalitarian wages and redistributive social policies, a spirit…
Employment insecurity and social policy: Preferences for investment vis-à-vis consumption
While existing studies on redistribution politics provide explanations of ‘who’ supports redistribution, we know very little about who supports ‘what’ type of redistribution. This omission is unfortunate because government spending has diverse functions and impacts, which are not differentiated in existing research. By capturing individual preferences for specific types of government policy under conditions of unemployment, we assess how economic…
Unequal New Democracies in East Asia: Rising Inequality and Government Responses in South Korea and Taiwan
This paper explores the growing trend in income inequality in Korea and Taiwan. The two recent East Asian democracies have witnessed rising inequality since the 1990s but with cross-national differences. We find that market inequality is higher in Taiwan than in Korea, yet the Taiwan government’s efforts to reduce this disparity are stronger than similar moves in Korea. By applying the logic of economic, social, and political effects, we find bot…
Trust and the protection of property rights: Evidence from global regions
Social investment in the knowledge-based economy: New politics and policies
This themed issue entitled Social Investment in the Knowledge-Based Economy aims to investigate desirable policy packages of social investment for the knowledge-based economy, the interactions between policy and economic inequality, and political and institutional configurations that shape policies. This introduction to our themed issue situates the contribution of the volume in the literature, summarizes the main findings and their implications,…
Government Partisanship and Electoral Accountability: The Effect of Perceived Employment Situation on Partisan Vote Switching
What are the electoral impacts of perceptions of unemployment under different partisan persuasions of the government? Neither the literature on retrospective economic voting nor partisan voting has provided a compelling answer to this question. This paper addresses this puzzle by analyzing panel surveys and leveraging differences in government partisanship in two consecutive elections. I argue that negative evaluations of the employment situation…
Trust, institutional quality, and the protection of property rights: A cross‐regional study of East Asia and Western countries
Objective This article explores the conditions under which social trust enhances institutional performance, specifically the protection of property rights in Western versus East Asian countries over time. Methods We estimate fixed‐effects panel regression models to test how the relationship between trust and property rights protection is moderated by the quality of political institutions, including state capacity, the legal system, and democracy.…
Economic Reform and Democratization: Evidence from Latin America and Post-Socialist Countries
What are the political consequences of economic reform in new democracies? Is the effect of economic reform on democratization the same across regions? Some scholars of transitology argue that economic reform has negative consequences on democratization largely because the resistance of established groups can undermine democratization processes. Others, mainly scholars of the post-socialist region, argue that in the post-socialist region economic…
Targeting Public Spending in a New Democracy: Evidence from South Korea
Empirical studies of electoral competition and public policy in new democracies have been relatively underdeveloped. This article investigates the election-policy outcome link in a ‘hard case’ setting: South Korea in 1988–97. Contrary to expectations derived from the bureaucratic insulation or fiscal co-ordination argument, this study suggests a systematic impact of electoral competition on levels and distributive patterns of public spending. The…
A dynamic analysis of partisan voting: The issue salience effect of unemployment in South Korea
Economic perceptions and electoral choice in South Korea: The case of the 2007 presidential election
While the notion that subjective economic perceptions as well as objective economic conditions affect electoral outcomes has long been explored in advanced democracies and new democracies, evidence of the link between the economy and elections has been rarely found in East Asian countries. As economic issues have become salient since the 1997 financial crisis, political leaders’ capacity to manage the economy has become one of the most important …
Unemployment, Partisan Issue Ownership, and Vote Switching: Evidence from South Korea
How do voters respond to individual worries about the employment situation in elections? This paper examines the effect of issue salience of the employment situation on voter choice. Drawing theoretical insights from the partisan salience of issue voting theories, I argue that voters who previously supported parties on the right are likely to change their political allegiance to support a center-left party when they think the employment issue is …
Unequal New Democracies in East Asia: Rising Inequality and Government Responses in South Korea and Taiwan
This paper explores the growing trend in income inequality in Korea and Taiwan. The two recent East Asian democracies have witnessed rising inequality since the 1990s but with cross-national differences. We find that market inequality is higher in Taiwan than in Korea, yet the Taiwan government’s efforts to reduce this disparity are stronger than similar moves in Korea. By applying the logic of economic, social, and political effects, we find bot…
The trust-eroding effect of perceived inequality: Evidence from East Asian new democracies
This paper examines the effect of citizens’ perceived salience of inequality on political trust in East Asian new democracies. The link between inequality and trust in new democracies has yet to receive appropriate attention in empirical research. We argue that citizens’ perceived salience of inequality has a trust-eroding effect where increasing inequality is a politically salient issue and there is a norm of fairness among the citizenry. When c…
Employment insecurity and social policy: Preferences for investment vis-à-vis consumption
While existing studies on redistribution politics provide explanations of ‘who’ supports redistribution, we know very little about who supports ‘what’ type of redistribution. This omission is unfortunate because government spending has diverse functions and impacts, which are not differentiated in existing research. By capturing individual preferences for specific types of government policy under conditions of unemployment, we assess how economic…
Government Partisanship and Electoral Accountability: The Effect of Perceived Employment Situation on Partisan Vote Switching
What are the electoral impacts of perceptions of unemployment under different partisan persuasions of the government? Neither the literature on retrospective economic voting nor partisan voting has provided a compelling answer to this question. This paper addresses this puzzle by analyzing panel surveys and leveraging differences in government partisanship in two consecutive elections. I argue that negative evaluations of the employment situation…
Social investment in the knowledge-based economy: New politics and policies
This themed issue entitled Social Investment in the Knowledge-Based Economy aims to investigate desirable policy packages of social investment for the knowledge-based economy, the interactions between policy and economic inequality, and political and institutional configurations that shape policies. This introduction to our themed issue situates the contribution of the volume in the literature, summarizes the main findings and their implications,…
Trust and the protection of property rights: Evidence from global regions
Union structure, bounded solidarity and support for redistribution: Implications for building a welfare state
This study unveils the effects of union structure – national, industrial and enterprise unionism – on the solidarity and redistribution preferences of workers. We argue that labor unions have varied scope and levels of solidarity as well as redistribution preferences because solidarity is not naturally given but tends to be cultivated by labor unions. In order to sustain commitment to egalitarian wages and redistributive social policies, a spirit…
Electoral Politics and Old-Age Pension Reform in South Korea
This article explores the political underpinnings of pension reforms in post-democratization South Korea. Contrary to the view of the traditional literature on East Asian welfare states, we argue that electoral competition plays an important role in driving pension reforms, as tax-based old-age cash transfers were initiated by conservative parties, and implemented under the conservative government of Park Geun-hye in South Korea. When older voter…
Trust, institutional quality, and the protection of property rights: A cross‐regional study of East Asia and Western countries
Objective This article explores the conditions under which social trust enhances institutional performance, specifically the protection of property rights in Western versus East Asian countries over time. Methods We estimate fixed‐effects panel regression models to test how the relationship between trust and property rights protection is moderated by the quality of political institutions, including state capacity, the legal system, and democracy.…
Home Ownership, House Prices, and Belief in Meritocracy: Evidence from South Korea and 34 Countries
Do home ownership and house prices impact the shaping of individual perceptions on inequality and belief in meritocracy? We argue that home ownership and rising asset prices increase the salience of an individual’s own relative economic position, which in turn facilitates belief in meritocracy. We expect that, when house prices increase, homeowners are likely to strengthen their belief in meritocracy and defend their position by rationalizing tha…
Job insecurity, economic resources, and democratic backsliding: Evidence from South Korea
This study explores demand-side stories of democratic backsliding among citizens. We argue that individual job insecurity is associated with higher levels of support for strong leaders who are not committed to being subject to legislative checks and balances. Furthermore, we contend that this relationship is mitigated by higher asset levels and household income. In our analysis of Korea, we utilize data from the 2018 World Values Survey and the 2…
Globalization, Automation, and the Welfare State: Evidence from the OECD and South Korea
How do subjective economic threats from globalization and technological changes shape social policy preferences? In this article, we argue that structural economic shifts increase subjective job insecurity. Consequently, individuals are more likely to seek immediate compensation for anticipated income and job losses, leading to a preference for short-term social consumption policies over social investment policies focused on long-term education a…
Labor Market Outsiders, the Self-Employed, and Partisan Politics
The self-employed population has grown significantly in recent decades due to rapid deindustrialization, increased immigration, and the rise of advanced platforms and the gig economy. This study explores potential conflicts between the self-employed and labor market outsiders, particularly regarding left-leaning parties’ pro-outsider policies. Right-leaning parties may strategically mobilize the self-employed against these policies, potentially f…
Partisan sorting, affective polarization, and democratic backsliding: Evidence from South Korea
Economics (19 works) · Political science (19 works) · Politics (16 works) · Law (13 works) · Political economy (12 works) · Law (11 works) · Social Policy and Reform Studies (11 works) · Development economics (8 works) · Electoral Systems and Political Participation (7 works) · Democracy (6 works)