Achieving Self-Independence in East Asian Social Assistance: A Comparative Analysis of Taiwan, Korea, and Japan

Introduction: East Asian "productivist" welfare regimes prioritize economic contribution and individual responsibility, influencing the design of their public assistance systems to minimize long-term dependency on public welfare. This study comparatively analyzes how Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, despite sharing these underlying principles, have different approaches to promoting self-reliance within their public assistance frameworks. Utilizing Daigneault's (2014) framework of the demanding (eligibility requirements) and enabling (income support and work incentives) elements in relation to fostering self-independence, we examine how political and cultural contexts influence welfare design across these three systems.

Methods: A comparative policy analysis was conducted, examining the social assistance programs of Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. These nations offer a valuable comparison due to their centralized governance and democratic structures, allowing for legislative and civil society influence. Employing a document analysis methodology, this research analyzed primary sources (social assistance acts, enforcement decrees, policy reports) and secondary sources. The analysis focused on identifying commonalities and differences in how each country defends self-reliance, the types of support offered, and how their specific policy designs reflect their unique socioeconomic and cultural contexts.

Results: When Daigneault's (2014) paradigm was applied, several strategies for demanding and enabling elements were found. In terms of demanding components, Taiwan's "assumed income" model—which determines income based on minimum wage regardless of real earnings—seems to be the least accommodating because of the pervasive "underground economy." On the other hand, the "income deduction" approach is used in Korea and Japan, which offers a more realistic evaluation of the resources accessible to those living in poverty. In addition, Korea and Japan provide more considerable assistance to able-bodied people to join the workforce and become independent, but they also have more stringent requirements for eligibility, such as requiring job-seeking activity, which is not the case in Taiwan. Concerning enabling elements, Korea and Japan have exempted necessary living expenditures in the application process and adopted self-sufficiency benefits, whereas Taiwan's system exempts income from calculation only after a recipient has secured employment.

Discussion: In conclusion, while Taiwan exhibits fewer explicit demanding elements compared to Korea and Japan, its limited enabling mechanisms may render its system less accessible for those in poverty and seeking self-reliance. Although Japan and Korea have strengthened their monitoring of job-seeking activities, their concurrent development of self-sufficiency services indicates a more supportive trajectory. Our study also highlights recent regulatory changes in all three countries, indicating a potential paradigm shift in favor of activation. These include the implementation of tailored work-support programs in Japan, the approval of income exemptions to promote employment in Taiwan, and enhanced job help in Korea. Initiatives to better combine welfare and employment programs have also been made; examples include Japan's strategy for helping the poor become self-sufficient and Taiwan's social-labor cooperative employment improvement program. However, the effectiveness of these programs is still unknown due to a lack of data and thorough review. Assessment instruments that are more appropriate for vulnerable individuals and in an Asian setting should be established in addition to the evaluation.