Does it matter who delivers? The case of early childhood education and care in Korea

ABSTRACT

This paper takes the case of early childhood education and care in Korea to explore how the service delivery structure that utilises non-traditional welfare institutions creates tensions between private and public interests. It highlights that the state’s primary concern is to ensure citizens’ access to services provided in the market, the providers of which are entrusted with social responsibilities at the same time. Yet because social goals are pursued through the use of economically efficient tools, the economic logic is introduced where it should not, in ways that are detrimental to social goals.

KEYWORDS:

• Early childhood education and care (ECEC)
• Korea
• service providers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gyu-Jin Hwang

Gyu-Jin Hwang is a senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy and works in the area of comparative welfare state development in East Asia. His latest publications include ‘The Political Economy of Welfare in Singapore’ (Policy Studies, 2020) and ‘How Fair are Unemployment Benefits?’ (International Social Security Review, 2019)