Comparison of (Un)employment Insurance Laws in Wisconsin and Korea

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In Korea, actions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1997 had a detrimental effect not only economically, but socially and culturally as well and huge number of workers lost jobs. The Employment Insurance Act (1993) played a role to help unemployed workers. On the other hand, the tide of political opinion in the U.S. has shifted, with concerns for the work disincentive and benefit dependency issues overriding prior concerns for work readiness, job training programs. Thus, when the U.S. enacted the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), most states, including Wisconsin, adopted a “work-first” philosophy in implementing the nation’s new welfare law. However, much more needs to be done to improve the living conditions of the working class.
Further, since the Employment Insurance system in South Korea was relatively new (enacted only in 1993), I was eager to see how the U.S., and Wisconsin in particular, dealt with the delivery of effective UI benefits. The comparison of the two UI systems by evaluating the rules for establishing eligibility for UI benefits, funding systems and the benefit period, would improve the two UI systems and protect the unemployed workers better.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. Introduction
• Ⅱ. Similarities and Difference in Employment/Unemployment Insurance Laws in Wisconsin and Korea
• Ⅲ. Evaluation and Conclusion
• 저자소개
• Summary