Research

The main themes of my projects include (1) pensions and economic inequality, (2) labour market inequalities and social policy, (3) the political economy of welfare state reforms, and (4) work-family reconciliation and demographic outcomes. 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. The website is being updated accordingly.

1. 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

Working Papers

Pension Systems and Wealth Inequality in Old Age: Revisiting the Paradox of Redistribution (with Javier Olivera and Philippe Van Kerm)

Projects under development

Intra-couple pension gap in comparative perspective (with Nicole Kapelle, Andreas Weiland, and Eva Sierminska)

2. Labour Market Inequalities and Social Policy

Publications

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

Technological change, workers’ anxiety, and savings behavior (with Ludivine Martin & Thuc-Uyen Nguyen-Thi)

Old and new welfare states retaining older workers in the face of crisis: The case of COVID-19 in Europe (Revise & Resubmit, Socio-Economic Review).

Converging or unequal retirement patterns? Retirement trajectories, late working lives, and pension income in Germany over three decades of cohorts (with Bernhard Ebbinghaus, Revise & Resubmit, Social Forces)

3. Political Economy of Welfare State Reforms

Publications

Kuitto, K. & Lee, K. (2025). ‘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. link

Working Papers

A fragile social contract: The politics of an unpopular welfare reform in South Korea (with Dong-kyun Im)

Projects under development

The Political Economy of Pension Reforms in South Korea: Evidence from a Conjoint Experiment (with Dong-kyun Im)

4. Social Policy, Work-Family Reconciliation, and Demographic Outcomes

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] link

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

Context matters: The role of family policy in shaping fertility and women’s labour market participation across policy regimes (with Eunho Cha & Stacie Tao) replication files

Projects under development

Couples’ allocation of paid and unpaid work and subjective well-being in South Korea, 2004-2024 (with Keon Kim)