Inclusive Growth in Seoul, Korea

This report, undertaken within the framework of the OECD Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth initiative, assesses inclusive growth trends and challenges in the Seoul metropolitan area. The analysis goes beyond income to assess the barriers faced by specific groups - non-regular workers, youth, women, the elderly and migrants - across four dimensions: education, labour market, housing and the urban environment, and infrastructure and public services. The study then takes a closer look at two major policy efforts by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to advance inclusive growth. The study analyses the city’s efforts to ensure that strategies to address climate change also protect and benefit the most vulnerable populations, notably through the Promise of Seoul, which puts citizen welfare and social inclusion at the heart of the city’s efforts to tackle climate change. The study also assesses the efforts of city authorities to level the playing field for small firms and entrepreneurs through its Economic Democratisation Agenda.