Research
The main themes of my projects include (1) public pensions and economic inequality, (2) inequalities in late working lives and retirement transitions, and (3) low fertility and work-family reconciliation policies. My doctoral thesis can be openly accessed through Oxford University Research Archive. For transparency and reproducibility of research, I intend to share replication files for all my studies as they are published. This page is being updated accordingly.
1. Public Pensions and Economic Inequality
Publications
Oh, J., Son, S. & Lee, K. (2025). ‘Exclusion from a ‘Mandatory’ Pension Scheme: Late-Stage dropouts from the National Pension System in South Korea’, Journal of the Economics of Ageing 100578 link (corresponding author)
Lee, K. (2024). ‘Varying Effects of Public Pensions: Pension Spending and Old-age Employment under Different Pension Regimes’, Journal of European Social Policy, 34(1), 3–19 link replication files
Lee, K. (2022). ‘Old-age Poverty in a Pension Latecomer: The Impact of Basic Pension Expansions in South Korea’, Social Policy & Administration, 56(7), 1022-1040. link replication files
Projects under development
Pension Systems and Wealth Inequality in Old Age: Revisiting the Paradox of Redistribution Thesis (with Javier Olivera and Philippe Van Kerm)
The Political Economy of Pension Reforms in South Korea: Evidence from Survey Experiment (with Dong-kyun Im)
2. Inequalities in Late Working Lives
Publications
Kuitto, K. & Lee, K. (in press). ‘How to make extending working lives in ageing welfare states socially sustainable’, in M. Vaalavuo, K. Nelson & K. Kuitto (eds.), Social Sustainability in Ageing Welfare States, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
Ebbinghaus, B. & Lee, K. (2023). ‘From early retirement to later exit from work: shifting towards active ageing’, in Daniel Clegg & Niccolo Durazzi (eds.), Handbook of Labour Market Policy in Advanced Democracies, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. link
Working Papers
Old and new welfare states retaining older workers in the face of crisis: The case of COVID-19 in Europe (single author, Revise & Resubmit).
Convergence or continued stratification? Retirement trajectories and late working lives in Germany, 1976-2019 (with Bernhard Ebbinghaus, Revise & Resubmit)
Digitalization, workers’ anxiety, and pension savings behavior (with Ludivine Martin & Thuc-Uyen Nguyen-Thi)
3. Social Policy, Work-Family Arrangements, and Low Fertility
Publications
Kim, K. & Lee, K. (2025). ‘Intra-couple allocation of paid and unpaid work, allocation perceptions, and life satisfaction in South Korea: An analysis based on the ‘equitable specialization’ framework’, Korean Journal of Social Welfare, 77(2), 263-287 [in Korean: 부부간 무급-유급노동 분담 유형과 가사분담 만족도 및 삶의 만족도 간의 관계: ‘형평성 있는 전문화’ 개념을 중심으로]
Lee, K. & Zaidi, A. (2020). ‘How Policy Configurations Matter: a critical look into pro-natal policy in South Korea based on a gender and family framework’, International Journal of Sociology & Social Policy, 40(7/8), 589-606. link
Working Papers
Family policy regimes, women’s labor force participation, and fertility: A comparative analysis across OECD countries (with Eunho Cha & Stacie Tao) replication files
Projects under development
Couples’ allocation of paid and unpaid work and subjective well-being in South Korea (with Keon Kim)