Foreword (June 2024, Health and Welfare Policy Forum)

Abstract

Community social security today faces the pressing challenge of reducing regional disparities in welfare provision. One distinctive issue in community social security policies is the variation in perceived social exclusion and deprivation across regions. One’s “zip code” significantly impacts one’s quality of life. To tackle the shortage of welfare resources and address various local social issues and the complex, deep-set needs of community residents, new policy interventions are necessary that differ from the existing nationally-standardized benefit payment scheme. Feasible alternatives might include “place-based initiatives.” Against this background, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) embarked in 2020 on the Social Security Special Support Zones Project, pursuant to Article 48 of the Act on the Use and Provision of Social Security Benefits and Search for Eligible Beneficiaries. This is a community impact project that residents, public officials, and private-sector groups work on in collaboration. The MOHW’s role in the support project is to provide financial, capacity-building, and planning support over a four-year period for small localities with a high proportion of low-income households and a shortage of welfare resources, aiming to enable them to address their problems independently. Localities eligible to apply for the special support are limited to those meeting certain criteria regarding the concentration of socially vulnerable groups. The first wave of this project, which began in 2020 for eight cities, counties, and districts, ended in 2023. The second wave is ongoing for another eight cities, counties, and districts. In this issue of the Health and Welfare Forum, we provide a comprehensive overview of the Social Security Special Support Zones Project, including its aim, key principles, and logical framework. We also review the cases of programs undertaken as part of the first wave of the project—community-led provision of multi-functional shared spaces, community-tailored social services, community activities, and community organizing—and discuss their policy implications for improvement.