House and the Welfare State: Assets, Debts, and Attitudes toward Welfare Policy (2017.03)

• Author : Hyeok Yong Kwon
• Journal : Korean Political Science Review
• Publisher : The Korean Political Science Association
• Volume : 51(1)
• Publication Date : March, 2017
• Abstract : This paper explores the effects of assets and debts on citizen’s attitudes toward welfare policy. Most extant studies have focused on income and labor market status in explaining the support for the welfare state. Recent studies by Ansell (2012, 2014) have argued that housing assets reduce the support for social policy. In this paper we go beyond Ansell’s contribution by examining the effects of housing assets and household debts on individual attitudes toward welfare policy. We argue that a higher ratio of household debts vis-a-vis housing assets increases positive attitudes toward social policy. Our statistical analysis of Korea Welfare Panel Study and International Social Survey Program 2009 find supporting evidence. The results suggest that a higher ratio of household debts is associated with higher levels of the support for the welfare state.

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