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Left is right and right is left? Partisan difference on social welfare and particularistic benefits in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan
[journal article]
Abstract This paper investigates elite-level partisan differences along the socioeconomic dimension in three developed East Asian democracies - Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. On the one hand, the mainstream literature in welfare studies and party politics expects left- and right-leaning parties should vary s... view more
This paper investigates elite-level partisan differences along the socioeconomic dimension in three developed East Asian democracies - Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. On the one hand, the mainstream literature in welfare studies and party politics expects left- and right-leaning parties should vary significantly in utilizing social policy promises. On the other hand, the path dependency logic tells us that left-right difference should be found over particularistic benefits, such as agricultural subsidies or construction projects, considering that these were central means for right-leaning parties to maintain their power during the developmental state period in the three countries. Using an original bill-sponsorship data set between 1987 and 2012, we find that there has not been any substantial difference in the agenda setting of conventional social welfare bills between left- and right-wing government periods. However, a clear elective affinity can be observed between established right-wing parties and particularistic benefits. The paper shows that contextualizing key political actors' preferences can lead to a more systematic understanding of political dynamics behind the socioeconomic dimension in non-Anglo-European countries.... view less
Keywords
social policy; political direction; path dependence; sponsoring; social economics; Japan; South Korea; Taiwan; Far East; party politics; political right; political left
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Social Policy
Document language
English
Publication Year
2020
Page/Pages
p. 25-41
Journal
Journal of International and Comparative Social Policy, 36 (2020) 1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/ics.2020.2
ISSN
2169-978X
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed