This study aims to explore the roles of the labor unions in Korea and in Taiwan in establishing and reforming the national pension systems. The findings based on the examinations through three temporal stages - under the authoritarian regime, democrat...
This study aims to explore the roles of the labor unions in Korea and in Taiwan in establishing and reforming the national pension systems. The findings based on the examinations through three temporal stages - under the authoritarian regime, democratic transition, and developed democracy - show that although the roles of labor unions were trivial under the authoritarian regime in both countries, their contribution to the expansion of social policies, including the national pension system, got greater since the democratization in 1980s. However, since the late 1990s, the roles of labor unions and the strategies they adopt show a divergence: while the labor union in Korea, which could not find a political channel, stuck to the militant strategy, the labor union in Taiwan successfully established a political alignment. The results suggest that the labor union in Korea may have a limitation as a political actor in the development of welfare state considering their restricted role in establishing and reforming the national pension system, while the labor movement in Taiwan demonstrates a potential of a more active role in the development of welfare state.