Health and Welfare Policy Forum 2023.1 No.315, pp.77-91
Abstract
Since it was instituted in 2013 with the aim of integrating and adjusting welfare policies sporadically designed and implemented by various central ministries and local governments in the social security sector, the social security consultation system has contributed to establishing the basic framework of national social security policy. However, problems arise continuously, such as intervention in the autonomy of local governments, complexity of the consultation process, and increased work burden on the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which is the subject of consultation. Therefore, in this paper, the need for central-level support was suggested to specify the projects to be consulted, strengthen the role of regional governments, digitalize the consultation process, and strengthen the policy design capacity of the person in charge of the project. The consultation system has become more critical as various welfare benefits are introduced to respond to changing welfare needs and solve problems. However, given that no system is perfect, the consultation system requires continuous and constructive institutional improvements.