The marketization of childcare and elderly care, and its results in South Korea

Abstract

To cope with a low birth rate and an aging population, some East Asian countries have actively reformed their care systems for children and older people by adopting policies for the marketization of care services. This research aims to explore the recent implementation of marketization of childcare and elderly care services by the South Korean government, and to examine the outcomes of the implementation of such policies. Owing to the marketization of services, a number of positive and challenging results have been reported. Similarities and differences have appeared in the processes and outcomes of the marketization of care between child and elderly services.