한국의 고용보험제도 도입 분석 - 정책 아이디어를 중심으로 -

Since its introduction in 1993, employment insurance has become a core system that affects a large number of employers. Existing studies to explain the introduction focus on political factors, such as the leading role of bureaucrats and choices for economic growth. However, the existing explanations show weakness in explaining the change in the actors’ positions. The study argues that institutional introduction can be better explained through analysis focused on policy ideas that can change actors’ perception of institutions and activities through cognitive and normative justification. For the analysis focusing on policy ideas, the introduction process was analyzed by dividing it into a ‘delayed introduction’ until the early 1980s and an ‘introduction’ period around 1990. The idea of ​​unemployment insurance, which was accepted in the ‘delayed introduction period’, was perceived negatively by the president and economic bureaucrats who were trying to solve unemployment through growth. The actors negative to the introduction were denying both institutional necessity and normative justification. The actors who insisted on the introduction failed to overcome the limit of influence in the policy making process and failed to introduce institution. In contrast, the idea of employment insurance that spread during the 1980s included active prevention of unemployment, adjustment of labor demand, and vocational training. Policy idea that respond to changes in the labor market and economic conditions were effective in need-based justification. In terms of normative justification, it performed effective functions such as following successful cases of Germany and Japan, institutionalizing the welfare state, and political appeal as a new policy. Changes in policy ideas persuaded actors who were opposed to the introduction of employment insurance and had a positive effect on introduction.