Going Together with the Socially Neglected Index
According to the World Inequality Report 2022 by the World Inequality Lab, income inequality worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The top 10% of the global population in terms of income distribution accounted for 52% of the global income, while the bottom 50% accounted for 8.5%. The worsening income inequality is exacerbating inequality and polarization across various social areas such as health, education, and housing, extending beyond the economic sphere.
Furthermore, as new social risks, including demographic changes such as low fertility and population ageing as well as technological and economic changes due to digital transformation, continue to compound, the scope of vulnerability is continuously expanding for marginalized groups. Policy considerations for vulnerable populations are urgently needed, not only for those who are physically or economically disadvantaged, traditionally defined as socially vulnerable, but also for individuals whose opportunities in major life domains are relatively constrained due to emerging psychosocial risks, such as caregiving, emotional well-being, social isolation, and exclusion, highlighting the importance of addressing these issues as significant challenges.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) declared its “going together with the socially neglected” initiative in 2022 as a top priority in its overall policies to address inequality, polarization, and emerging psychosocial risks, with a focus on prioritizing the vulnerable. Furthermore, the SMG developed the Going Together with the Socially Neglected (GTSN) Index after a year-long research process.
The GTSN Index is designed to diagnose vulnerability in various areas of citizens’ lives, including support for livelihood, housing and healthcare, from the perspective of the vulnerable. It serves as an indicator to evaluate the SMG's policy efforts to address these vulnerabilities. The index is structured to aggregate the performance indicators of each domain into a single index.
This indicator and index system, which comprehensively assesses the performance of city-initiated policies from the perspective of the vulnerable and allows for practical utilization of the results in policy development and budget allocation, holds significant value. It can be considered a novel and distinct approach from traditional methods.
< Encompassing 6 areas—livelihood and caregiving; housing; medical and health; education and culture; public safety; and social integration—with 10 tasks and divided into 50 detailed indicators >
Through the operation of the GTSN Index, the goal is to early detect social risks in various areas of citizens’ lives, such as livelihood and housing, eliminating blind spots and enhancing policy effectiveness. The GTSN Index is structured as an indicator aimed at improving citizens’ lives in areas closely related to their daily lives, such as easing the housing burden for struggling young individuals, providing emotional support, and caring for the health of vulnerable elderly individuals who may even find it difficult to secure meals.
The index is calculated with 2022 as the baseline, representing a value of 100, which coincides with the inception of the city's “GTSN” initiative. For instance, if the calculated index falls below the baseline value of 100, a thorough analysis will ensue to pinpoint the underlying causes. In the event that the dip in the index is attributed to heightened demand, the budget allocation will be expanded to accommodate increased support targets. Conversely, if project feasibility issues are identified, efforts will be made to enhance policy efficiency through targeted improvement measures. Each year, the systematically calculated index will be used as a basis to expand initiatives in areas where they are needed the most and to make improvements where deficiencies exist, ensuring that the most essential policies are pursued for the benefit of the citizens. In addition, the annual performance of the GTSN Index will be evaluated, and the results will be made public to the citizens.
Furthermore, as new social risks, including demographic changes such as low fertility and population ageing as well as technological and economic changes due to digital transformation, continue to compound, the scope of vulnerability is continuously expanding for marginalized groups. Policy considerations for vulnerable populations are urgently needed, not only for those who are physically or economically disadvantaged, traditionally defined as socially vulnerable, but also for individuals whose opportunities in major life domains are relatively constrained due to emerging psychosocial risks, such as caregiving, emotional well-being, social isolation, and exclusion, highlighting the importance of addressing these issues as significant challenges.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) declared its “going together with the socially neglected” initiative in 2022 as a top priority in its overall policies to address inequality, polarization, and emerging psychosocial risks, with a focus on prioritizing the vulnerable. Furthermore, the SMG developed the Going Together with the Socially Neglected (GTSN) Index after a year-long research process.
The GTSN Index is designed to diagnose vulnerability in various areas of citizens’ lives, including support for livelihood, housing and healthcare, from the perspective of the vulnerable. It serves as an indicator to evaluate the SMG's policy efforts to address these vulnerabilities. The index is structured to aggregate the performance indicators of each domain into a single index.
This indicator and index system, which comprehensively assesses the performance of city-initiated policies from the perspective of the vulnerable and allows for practical utilization of the results in policy development and budget allocation, holds significant value. It can be considered a novel and distinct approach from traditional methods.
< Encompassing 6 areas—livelihood and caregiving; housing; medical and health; education and culture; public safety; and social integration—with 10 tasks and divided into 50 detailed indicators >
Through the operation of the GTSN Index, the goal is to early detect social risks in various areas of citizens’ lives, such as livelihood and housing, eliminating blind spots and enhancing policy effectiveness. The GTSN Index is structured as an indicator aimed at improving citizens’ lives in areas closely related to their daily lives, such as easing the housing burden for struggling young individuals, providing emotional support, and caring for the health of vulnerable elderly individuals who may even find it difficult to secure meals.
The index is calculated with 2022 as the baseline, representing a value of 100, which coincides with the inception of the city's “GTSN” initiative. For instance, if the calculated index falls below the baseline value of 100, a thorough analysis will ensue to pinpoint the underlying causes. In the event that the dip in the index is attributed to heightened demand, the budget allocation will be expanded to accommodate increased support targets. Conversely, if project feasibility issues are identified, efforts will be made to enhance policy efficiency through targeted improvement measures. Each year, the systematically calculated index will be used as a basis to expand initiatives in areas where they are needed the most and to make improvements where deficiencies exist, ensuring that the most essential policies are pursued for the benefit of the citizens. In addition, the annual performance of the GTSN Index will be evaluated, and the results will be made public to the citizens.
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