Another dimension of welfare reform: The implementation of the employment insurance programme in Korea

A shift in policy goals at the central decision-making level does not always produce the expected degree of change in policy implementation. This article investigates what actually happens at the local level in respect of the implementation of the reformed Employment Insurance Programme of Korea through case studies covering three district governments. Given the sources of difficulty in implementation, local case studies show that the change that welfare reform sought has not fully materialised in reform implementation. Therefore, successfully pursuing welfare reform must involve the necessary change in the implementation process that follows reform decision-making.