"Health Politics in Korea" analyzes the political dynamics of South Korea’s healthcare reform, through the case study on the debate to inaugurate the single payer system of health insurance, which had been practiced for two decades since the early 1980s. During this period, South Korea had undergone unprecedented political and economic turmoils. Through this book, readers will be able to gain valuable insight into how these turbulences had impacted healthcare reform in a politically and economically transitional country. This book also grants opportunities for readers to compare the different paths taken by South Korea’s healthcare reform which reflects the changing dynamics of its political regimes.
The book’s key theoretical perspectives are underpinned by the policy network perspective and new institutionalism. This combination allows the book to establish more integrative and stereoscopic analytical framework linking environmental context, institutional constraints, policy network, and policy outputs.
Through this book, readers may acquire valuable information and knowledge about:
• South Korea’s dynamic politics and its impact on health policy-making
• The enhanced power of civil society groups in Korean health politics
• The emergence of conflicting trade unions and its impact on health politics
• Ideological confrontations surrounding economic efficiency and social solidarity
• The role of political opportunity structure as a catalyst of policy change
• Conflict and resistance in the process of institutional change
• Factors leading to policy success or policy failure.

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1. Introduction
1. Republic of Korea: Whirlpool Politics and Miracle Economy
1) Republic of Korea: a profile
2) Whirlpool politics
3) Miracle economy
4) Progress of health status and healthcare
2. Research Purpose
3. Key Debates on the Health Insurance System: Case Synopsis

Chapter 2. Dynamics of Health Politics
1. Politics as the Context of Policy
2. Policy Process and Participants
3. Institutions Matter: The New Institutional Perspective
1) Institution: its meaning and dynamism
2) Varieties of new institutionalism
3) Limitations and implications
4. Policy-making Structure and Interaction: The Policy Network Perspective
1) Policy networks: meaning and dynamism
2) Two contrasting types of policy network
3) Limitations and implications
5. Linking the Two Theoretical Perspectives
6. Analytical Framework: Institutions, Policy Networks and Policy Outputs
1) Policy context
2) Institutional features
3) Policy networks
4) Policy outputs and feedback

Chapter 3. Bureaucratic Politics in a Closed Terrain: The First Merger Debate in the Early 1980s
1. Introductory Comments
2. Policy Context
1) Political context: authoritarian politics and non-competitive leadership
2) Social context: an inactivated civil society
3. Institutional Features
1) Power imbalances between the state’s political organisations
2) Undemocratic political party and election systems
3) Decision-making rules: hierarchy and top-down decision-making
4) Previous policies imported from abroad
4. Policy Networks
1) Network structure: a bureaucracy-led closed and exclusive network
2) Participants’ interaction: persuasion through institutional channels
5. Policy Outputs
1) Final outputs: keeping the current health insurer system
2) Reflected interests: huge power gap and frustrated merger attempt
6. Conclusion

Chapter 4. Democratisation but Frustrated Health Insurance Reform
1. Introductory Comments
2. Policy Context
1) Political context: progress towards democratic politics
2) Social context: turbulent civil society
3. Institutional Features
1) Balanced power and opposition dominated Parliament
2) Towards a more competitive set of institutions
3) Firmly embedded decision-making rules
4) Previous policy inertia, again
4. Policy Networks
1) Network structure: abruptly opened non-exclusive network
2) Participants’ interaction: laissez-faire
5. Policy Outputs
1) Final outputs: vetoed agreement
2) Reflected interests: ending in a tie
6. Conclusion

Chapter 5. Pushing the First Button: Accomplishment of Partial Merger in the 1990s
1. Introductory Comments
2. Policy Context
1) Political context: struggle for the approaching presidential election
2) Social context: legitimised civil society
3. Institutional Features
1) Lame-duck President and ruling party-centric politics
2) Moving quickly towards institutional democracy
3) Stationary rules on decision-making
4) Previous policies: escape from the established path
4. Policy Networks
1) Network structure: party politics in an open network
2) Participants’ interaction: self-restraint for second best outcome
5. Policy Outputs
1) Final outputs: pushing the first button
2) Reflected interests: political motivations and semi success
6. Conclusion

Chapter 6. Unfinished Symphony
1. Introductory Comments
2. Policy Context
1) Political context: power alternation and insolvent economy
2) Social context: active civil society
3. Institutional Features
1) Skilfully manipulated power
2) Towards democratic institutions
3) Makeshift decision-making system
4) Previous policies: a newly constructed road
4. Policy Networks
1) Network structure: free and open to all with no ticket required
2) Participants’ interaction: die-hard battle between mortal enemies
5. Policy Outputs
1) Final outputs: realistic compromises but still broken promises
2) Reflected interests: reluctant compromise at crossroads
6. Conclusion

Chapter 7. Successful Health Insurance Reform or Reluctant Compromise?
1. Comparing the four case studies
2. Policy Context: Political Turbulence and Vitalised Civil Society
1) Political context: from authoritarianism to democracy
2) Social context: from forced silence to an autonomous civil society
3. ‌Institutional Features: Towards Balanced and Democratic Political Institutions
1) Power relations between political organisations: towards balance
2) Democratising political institutions
3) ‌Decision-making rules: the discrepancy between institutions and their practical operation
4) Previous policies: incremental changes
4. Policy Networks: Towards Open and Fluid Issue Networks
1) Network structure: doubling the number of network participants
2) Participants’ interaction: from simple to diverse and mass-level patterns of interaction
5. Policy Outputs: Frequent Policy Paralysis
1) Final outputs and changes in policy content
2) Reflected interests

Chapter 8. Conclusion
1. Summary and Responses to Research Questions
2. Theoretical and Practical Implications
3. Towards a Better Understanding of Policy Dynamics

Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index