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South Korea's transition from military-controlled authoritarianism to consolidated civilian-dominated democracy is widely considered a success story. However, civilians' roles within the MND remain severely limited due to the institutional design of the MND. A decentralised structure emerged in the MND, delegating policy decision-making in critical areas to professional soldiers. Data analysis on 1,060 employees in 21 MND departments shows a clear cut between the military domain and the civilian domain within the MND, which enabled the military to thwart 30 years of civilian efforts to reform the military structure without challenging the principle of civilian supremacy.

Smart cities have emerged in the hope of solving growing urban problems. In addition, unlike past citizen participation in tokenism, new technologies in smart cities have shed light on creating cities with high levels of civic engagement. However, contrary to expectations, technology-centric smart city development has resulted in a lack of opportunities for citizen participation. Consequently, smart cities are increasingly adopting a citizen-centric living lab methodology. Previous research on living labs has emphasized the significance of civic engagement and the potential as a collaborative platform for governments, businesses, and citizens. However, keeping individuals engaged and motivated during the living lab process might be challenging. This study examined the significance of citizens’ active participation and determined the elements that influence the level of participation in a living lab. In this study, the first citizen-led living laboratory in South Korea was selected as the subject of a case study. An empirical analytic approach was adopted and a survey was conducted among living lab participants regarding their level of participation and the sociocultural elements that may impact it. Our findings revealed that living lab activities were associated with enhanced civic self-esteem and positive attitudes toward smart cities. Moreover, they display the socioeconomic elements that influence the degree of participation. This study offers evidence that living lab activities encourage citizen engagement by giving participants a sense of empowerment during the co-creation process with multiple stakeholders, boosting civic competency through learning activities, and improving a sense of community ownership.

The smart city is recognized as a new city model for inclusive urban planning. Many local governments are making smart city plans to develop new policies that manage urban issues in South Korea. They identify issues through citizen surveys and decide which issues should be managed with priority. Some governments test developed policies based on citizen engagement. Most local governments use the living labs to encourage citizen engagement in smart city plans since these are public spaces where planners engage citizens to develop innovative and inclusive ideas. This study conducted a content analysis of smart city plans of local government. We analyzed the various approaches to the living lab and examined the stage of the planning process it is utilized in. Additionally, we identified the barrier to the living lab by interviewing people who participated in the smart city plan. According to the analysis, a barrier to citizen engagement exists in smart city plans; most citizen engagement is only used when planners develop ideas for setting visions and goals. It implies that citizen engagement occurs at a limited level in smart city plans and may cause planning to be less inclusive. We suggest that citizen engagement should be considered in the whole planning process to improve the inclusiveness of smart city plans and encourage sustainable citizen engagement.

Walking is a means of health promotion, which is one of the main features of smart cities. A smart city’s built environment can help people choose a healthy walking route instead of the shortest one. Our study investigated which environmental factors pedestrians who select healthy routes prefer and favored environmental factors in pedestrian navigation mobile applications. Survey data were collected from 164 residents in Daegu, South Korea, from October 12 to October 25, 2022. t and chi-square tests were used to compare perceptual differences between the healthy route and the shortest route preference groups. The results indicate that 56.7% of respondents preferred a healthy walking route over the shortest route. Pedestrians who chose the healthy route preferred to have less noise and more greenery along their commute and feel safer from traffic accidents and crimes than those who chose the shortest route. Moreover, people who favored healthy routes also considered the following environmental factors in pedestrian navigation mobile applications: (a) greenery and waterfront areas, (b) low traffic volume, and (c) safety from traffic accidents and crimes. The results suggest that urban planning and design policies support healthier and more active walking in smart cities.

Although sanctions targeting political regimes receive the most media attention, the EU can also sanction states for labour rights violations through its trade policy. Although in practice such sanctions are applied only in extreme cases, the possibility of suspending trade preferences increases the EU’s leverage. In modern trade agreements, the EU incorporates Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) chapters for labour and environmental matters. However, trade sanctions for non-compliance with this chapter are absent. Instead, a dedicated dispute settlement arrangement exists, leading to recommendations by a panel of experts. In 2019 the EU launched proceedings against South Korea for failing to uphold commitments to ratify and implement International Labour Organisation core conventions regarding trade unions under the 2011 EU–Korea Trade Agreement. In 2021, the panel of experts sided with the EU’s interpretation of commitments under the TSD chapter. This initial case represents the EU’s intention to focus on the implementation of TSD chapters. Using data from official documents, this article process-traces the dispute with Korea. It argues that the outcome of the case, and Korea’s ratification of fundamental International Labour Organisation conventions in 2021, demonstrate the potential of the TSD chapter, when forcefully enforced, to partially redress the weak sanctioning capacity in TSD chapters. It also uncovers important caveats regarding state capacity and alignment with government objectives as conditioning the effectiveness of TSD chapters’ non-legally binding sanctioning mechanisms.

The use of the term 'imperial presidency' in South Korea refers to the fact that the country's 1987 constitution grants the state's highest office holder de facto imperial powers with regard to domestic and foreign policy making. This version of the term therefore differs from Arthur M. Schlesinger's usage in the US context, which was critical of the discretionary powers exercised by US presidents in efforts to subvert the checks and balances of the US Constitution. Concentrating political power in the South Korean presidency severely curtails the work of the other political institutions, including its parliament (the National Assembly). Every time the presidency changes hands, the leadership structures of all other public institutions are subjected to major restructuring according to political loyalty, which interrupts their routine functioning. Overall, the presidency in its current form is dysfunctional and works as a barrier against democratic deepening. This article examines why lengthy debate over South Korea's imperial presidency has so far failed to result in comprehensive constitutional reform.

The US–South Korea summit in April 2023 showed South Korea's willingness to further align with the US amid increasing US-China tensions. Statistical analyses show that the increased anti-Chinese sentiment of recent years strongly correlates with public support for alignment with the US. These findings have implications regarding the popularity of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's foreign policy. Polls such as Pew Global Attitudes data published in 2020 show that sentiment towards China has worsened since the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) incident of 2016 and COVID-19’s onset in 2020. Political orientation played a role in explaining varied attitudes towards China after the THAAD crisis; however, this role decreased after COVID-19's onset in early 2020. Analysis of a poll published by Sinophone Borderlands in 2022 shows there is a strong association between negative public attitudes towards China and increased alignment with the US. These trends affect the Yoon administration's foreign policy, which has signalled its further alignment with the US amid rising US-China tensions. In December 2022, South Korea announced a new Indo-Pacific strategy that marks a stronger alignment with the US. The emphasis is on a commitment to a rules-based international order, while not completely excluding China. Given the high levels of anti-Chinese sentiment, it is likely that the Yoon administration will experience increased public support for its foreign policy. As a liberal democracy that is increasingly signalling its desire to play a more active role in supporting a rules-based international order, South Korea offers a lot of room for collaboration with Germany and the EU. With its emphasis on "de-risking" relations with China on the rise, the EU can further benefit from collaboration with South Korea in the areas of trade, security, and technology.

This study aims to analyze the gap between the level of heat wave adaptation policies and heat wave effects in South Korean municipalities. First, the types of industries in municipalities were classified using factor analysis and cluster analysis. Second, the level of heat wave adaptation policy in the municipalities was assessed using a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process analysis. Third, the gap between the level of heat wave adaptation policy and the heat wave effect was analyzed. The results show that the heat wave adaptation policies were established in accordance with the heat wave effects to at least some degree. However, closer to the long-term future (2095), the policies have not sufficiently matched the level of heat wave effects. The proportion of municipalities with insufficient levels of heat wave adaptation policies against the heat wave effects was higher among urban-type municipalities. The analysis results suggest two policy implications. First, the heat wave adaptation policies of municipalities should be established through continuous feedback on the predictions of future heat wave effects. Second, urban-type municipalities should strengthen their planning authority and competence by securing a professional workforce and budgets for the establishment of heat wave adaptation policies.

This study aimed to plan an alternative for community street lighting in an older community by simulating illuminance improvements. We applied the natural surveillance principle of crime prevention through environmental design to an older community in Busan Metropolitan City in South Korea. We conducted four field investigations to identify lighting sources and measure their illuminance and heights. Using the Relux Pro program, the gaps in lighting were identified and alternative plans for improvement for night lighting were simulated. Narrow alleys and houses were sources of light disruption and lighting blind spots. We determined the location and type of lighting within the community and considered the continuity necessary to meet natural surveillance standards in alternative settings. We considered visibility, facial recognition, the risk of traffic accidents, and other variables (i.e., lamp type). Our results confirmed that the community’s average horizontal illuminance met the requirement of the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards and the minimal illuminance criterion of the International Commission on Illumination in all community lighting spaces—which was improved by about 2.2% to 85.7% compared to the previous situation. The results of this study are meaningful in that they present an effective planning support tool using simulation methods to establish community street lighting alternatives and determine their suitability.

Recent democratic regressions and crises suggest democracy is at risk across East and Southeast Asia. One of the factors that can determine democratic stability are citizens’ attitudes. While previous research has concentrated on support for democracy-in-principle, this contribution argues that it is political trust, i.e. support for democracy-in-practice, which is crucial for democratic stability. For democracies to be stable, political trust should be high as well as rooted in long-term factors like liberal democratic value orientations or social trust to protect it from short-term fluctuations following economic crises or political scandals. This contribution therefore examines not only the current levels and development of political trust but also whether it is influenced more by long-term factors (liberal democratic value orientations, social trust) or short-term factors (economic performance evaluations, incumbent support). The empirical analysis shows political trust in five East and Southeast Asian democracies (Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Taiwan) to be mostly mediocre and primarily dependent on economic performance evaluations and incumbent support. Among the five democracies, citizens in Japan appear most resilient to democratic regressions; on the other hand, Taiwanese democracy seems least equipped to master future crises.

Aim: Sanitation and cleanliness are essential factors in reducing the spread of pathogens and preventing healthcare-associated infections. Disinfectants are associated with better hygiene outcomes to reduce pathogen transmission risk and minimize risks to healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients. Methods: A literature search was undertaken using the electronic databases Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid and Google Scholar. The inclusion criteria for this study are observational and original research studies dating from the five-year period 2017-2021. Other inclusion criteria are full text, English language, qualitative or quantitative studies relevant to the research question. The exclusion criteria are animal studies, systematic reviews, conference proceedings, abstracts, projection modelling studies, in-vivo or in-vitro studies, and books. Results: Five study nations included the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), China, India and South Korea, together with Malaysia. These nations have existing policies, regulations and guidelines regarding the use of disinfectants. HCWs should be aware of the national laws and guidelines that govern the purchase, distribution and use of disinfectants. They should also understand the different roles of the agencies involved, so the context for the guidance provided is clear. Coordination and collaboration across various stakeholders are required for creating solid policies. Conclusion: Product research and innovation are indispensable, as appropriate personal protective equipment and safety measures for HCWs and patients have top priority in every nation. Hence, clear guidelines for handling disinfectants, in addition to health education about scientific-evidence-based disinfectants, are required. Zielsetzung: Hygiene und Sauberkeit sind wesentliche Faktoren, um die Ausbreitung von Krankheitserregern zu unterbinden und Healthcare-assoziierte Infektionen (HAI) zu verhindern. Der Einsatz von Desinfektionsmitteln erfolgt mit dem Ziel, das Risiko der Übertragung von Krankheitserregern zu verringern und dadurch Infektionsrisiken für Beschäftigte im Gesundheitswesen und für Patienten zu minimieren. Methode: Es wurde eine Literaturrecherche in den elektronischen Datenbanken Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid und Google Scholar durchgeführt. Die Einschlusskriterien für die Studie sind Beobachtungs- und Originalstudien aus den letzten fünf Jahren (2017-2021). Weitere Einschlusskriterien sind englischsprachige, qualitative oder quantitative Studien im Volltext, die für die Forschungsfrage relevant sind. Ausschlusskriterien sind Tierstudien, systematische Übersichten, Konferenzberichte, Zusammenfassungen, Projektionsmodellierungsstudien, In-vivo- oder In-vitro-Studien und Bücher. Ergebnisse: Zu den fünf Studienländern gehören die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika (USA), das Vereinigte Königreich (UK), China, Indien, Südkorea und Malaysia. In diesen Ländern gibt es Strategien, Vorschriften und Richtlinien zur Verwendung von Desinfektionsmitteln. Die Mitarbeiter des Gesundheitswesens sollten die nationalen Gesetze und Richtlinien kennen, die den Kauf, die Verteilung und die Verwendung von Desinfektionsmitteln regeln. Sie sollten auch die verschiedenen Rollen der beteiligten Stellen verstehen, damit der Kontext für die bereitgestellten Leitlinien klar ist. Für die Entwicklung solider Strategien sind Koordination und Zusammenarbeit zwischen den verschiedenen Interessengruppen erforderlich.Schlussfolgerung: Produktforschung und -innovation sind unentbehrlich, weil eine angemessene persönliche Schutzausrüstung und Sicherheitsmaßnahmen für das Gesundheitspersonal und die Patienten für jede Nation höchste Priorität haben. Daher sind klare Leitlinien für den Umgang mit Desinfektionsmitteln sowie eine wissenschaftlich fundierte Gesundheitsaufklärung über Desinfektionsmittel erforderlich.

Purpose: Several universities in different countries are using their college ranking as a marketing and branding tool. Main scope of this paper is to investigate the interrelation between college rankings in Korea and how they affect university service marketing and reputation. Methods: Forty-six universities are examined through a non-parametric technique, by comparing three different Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) models regarding their adeptness to their Research and Development Business Foundation; parametric methods used to measure efficiencies in the public or private sectors are Ratio Analysis, Productivity Index Approach and Functional Approach. Results: The results delineate that the three model have different results since CCR and BCC models have better efficiency scores compared to SBM. Furthermore, public universities with local character seems to have better decision-making units leading to better branding. Implications: Decision makers can enhance policies by improving the effectiveness and antagonism of Research and Development Business Foundations, to improve university's reputation and attract more and better students. In spite of some valid considerations regarding the ranking of educational institutions in the world, ARWU (Academic Ranking of World Universities) is still a useful indicator for universities who wish to grow further, and will remain as a good guideline., SUBMITTED: DEC 2019, REVISION SUBMITTED: MAR 2020, 2nd REVISION SUBMITTED: MAY 2020, ACCEPTED: JUN 2020, REFEREED ANONYMOUSLY, PUBLISHED ONLINE: 30 OCT 2020

Previous research has identified a distinctive East Asian model of income protection for disadvantaged children. In the wealthier East Asian societies, relative poverty rates are similar or lower than those in many Western European societies, but income transfers are low and market incomes (including private transfers) are relatively high. This chapter compares the family circumstances and household 'income packages' of disadvantaged children in Japan, Taiwan and (South) Korea with those in selected other OECD societies using data from the Luxembourg Income Study and national data sets. We look at poverty rates and the incomes of the poorest one-fifth of children in each society. In cross-national context, poverty rates are generally low in these three countries, despite low social transfers. Demographic factors (low fertility, small family size and parental age) play a significant role in this outcome - though they are also constraints in their own right. High rates of parental employment are also important.

In November 2022 South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol unveiled his country's new Indo-Pacific strategy, which shares points of convergence with the European Union's "Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific" and Germany's "Indo-Pacific Policy Guidelines." As one of the few liberal democracies in the region, an advocate of inclusive multilateralism, and the world's tenth-largest economy, South Korea is very suited to being a close cooperation partner for the EU and Germany in the Indo-Pacific. Such cooperation can build on a very solid basis of achievements, especially in the economic realm. This includes a "Free Trade Agreement" in place since 2011. A "Digital Partnership," also at the EU level, was also signed very recently. And, as a producer of high-tech goods such as semiconductors, South Korea figures as a critical partner in the quest for more resilient supply chains. The EU, Germany, and South Korea should seek to buttress their oft-emphasised commonalities regarding support for inclusive multilateralism globally with the taking of concrete joint action. Such endeavours should involve the institutions that have been sidelined by the intensification of great-power rivalries - from the G20, to the World Trade Organization, to the United Nations. The EU, member states like Germany, and South Korea see eye to eye on issues of international security, including most recently the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, collaboration on strategic matters has yet to reach its full potential. Its central location in East Asia, alliance with the United States, and rich but ambivalent ties with China make South Korea a particularly interesting partner for consultation and cooperation on regional governance, including on security affairs. In 2023, 60 years of diplomatic ties between the EU and South Korea and 140 years of such relations between Germany and Korea will be celebrated. Summits and high-level official visits on the occasion of these anniversaries should be used to invigorate coordination and cooperation on questions of global governance and regional security. Dedicated Track 1.5 exchange can support and lend continuity to this official dialogue, too.

This article examines discourses that shaped different outcomes for Yemeni refugees in 2018 and Afghan special contributors in 2021 in South Korea. Following the country’s mission to evacuate its Afghan interlocutors in 2021, Afghans are fast‐tracked for social integration through the creation of emergency enforcement ordinances, with South Korean society broadly welcoming them as national heroes and recognizing them as “special contributors” rather than refugees. In contrast, Yemeni refugees arriving in 2018 were subjected to Islamophobic and legal abuse, constructed as potential sex offenders and terrorists, and accused of being fake refugees. In both cases, refugee protections according to South Korea’s 2013 Refugee Law were withheld as Yemenis and Afghans were processed through alternative systems. This article concludes that Muslim refugee issues in South Korea are masculinized and delves into the multi‐faceted complex factors at play when analyzing the differences between the reception of Afghan evacuees and Yemeni refugees in the South Korean context.

Während die Weltöffentlichkeit auf Russlands Krieg gegen die Ukraine und den sich verschärfenden Konflikt zwischen den USA und China blickt, hat sich die Sicher­heits­lage auf der koreanischen Halbinsel weiter verschlechtert. Nordkorea treibt den Ausbau seiner militärischen Fähigkeiten kontinuierlich voran und hat jüngst seine Nukleardoktrin signifikant modifiziert. Der sich rasch verändernde geopolitische Kontext macht zugleich eine Lösung des Atomkonflikts noch unwahrscheinlicher. Pjöngjang hat den Status quo auf der koreanischen Halbinsel unilateral verändert. Diese neue Realität anzuerkennen ist zwar politisch nicht unumstritten. Doch sind Fortschritte in der Nordkorea-Frage kaum vorstellbar, solange die internationale Gemeinschaft weiter von unbegründeten Erwartungen ausgeht und an dem illusorischen Ziel festhält, das Land zum Verzicht auf seine Atomwaffen zu überreden oder zu zwingen.

While the world's attention is focused on Russia’s war against Ukraine and the inten­sifying conflict between the US and China, the security situation on the Korean Pen­insula has continued to deteriorate. North Korea is steadily advancing the expansion of its military capabilities and recently undertook significant changes in its nuclear doctrine. At the same time, the rapidly changing geopolitical context makes a reso­lution of the North Korean nuclear conflict even less likely. North Korea’s unilateral change of the status quo on the Korean Peninsula poses a serious challenge to the international community, which has few options to counter this threat that is far too dangerous to ignore. (author's abstract)

Despite high hopes for artificial intelligence (AI) to generate powerful innovations across the public sphere backed by its strong prediction skills, Korea has not fully brought the technologies into the public sector in tasks like identifying policy target groups and managing follow-up tasks in line with its policy objectives.Recent cases of AI-applied public services in Korea show limited usage, mainly replacing simple repetitive tasks. Few leading countries are trying to apply AI-based analysis to select promising policy target groups to effectively achieve policy goals and follow up on the performance of public projects. While the existing management system for policy performance is mostly about ex-post assessment of project outcomes, the application of AI technologies signifies a shift to data-driven decision-making that uses ex-ante forecasts of policy effects. An analysis of AI-applied recipient selection of small and medium enterprise (SME) policy support programs demonstrated the efficiency of AI in predicting the performance of beneficiary firms after the program and AI's potential to significantly improve the effectiveness of public support by providing helpful information in screening out unfit SMEs. Using firm-level data, this study applies machine learning to various public financing programs (subsidies or loans for SMEs) funded by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and finds that AI helps predict the growth of recipient firms in the years following policy support. The application of AI in identifying fitting recipients likely to achieve intended objectives may increase project effectiveness. In a KDI survey in 2020, respondents pointed out that what hinders transitioning into a system of AI-applied, data-driven policymaking in the public sector are: 1) incomplete standardization and linkage of policy information between governmental ministries and 2) lack of expertise in technology utilization in the public sector. By developing a strategy to propel a transition into data-driven policymaking in the public sector, coordinated national-level efforts must be made to heighten policy effectiveness across different public fields, including education, health care, public safety, national defense, and business support. One way to adopt AI technologies in the public sector is by designing a policy to support technology adoption for competent public institutions. Support measures may cover system, data platform, security, organizational consulting, training, etc. Detailed strategies are: 1) unifying existing data management systems into one single platform, 2) reorganizing the way government work gets done to enable efficient exchange of policy information, and 3) building a trust-based public-private partnership. By examining the policy cycle from planning and implementation to evaluation, it is important to clarify areas for AI to contribute to policy decision-making. Also, the government needs step-by-step strategies toward data-driven policymaking, such as setting clear project objectives, selecting and sharing data, establishing system and security, and promoting operational transparency.

"Every Immigrant is an Emigrant (IMISEM)" is a 4-year project that was funded by the Leibniz-Gemeinschaft and hosted at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) from April 2017 until August 2021. Its main distinctive feature is that it adopts a comprehensive view of migration policy. This includes not only the policies that regulate the stages of entry, immigrant residence and integration to citizenship access, but also encompasses the stages of emigration, emigrant rights abroad, and retention of citizenship. Thus, this project bridges for the first time the two sides of migration policy which both the policy and research communities have assumed to exist, but which so far have not been systematically analyzed in their connections. By collecting information on a vast array of information for policies across these six areas (three "stages" * two "sides") for 32 cases from three world regions, we hope to offer the scholarly and policy communities the resources to discover connections between the different areas of migration policy within and across cases as well as noteworthy migration policy innovations in so far little-known cases in the world. The IMISEM project was led by Dr. Luicy Pedroza. The data collection for IMISEM took place in Berlin (Germany) from 2017 to 2019 and reflects the state of migration policy at the time of data collection. This report has been created based on the information contained in the IMISEM dataset.

Reflexivity increases the reliability of qualitative research studies and can fuel conversations as to how field researchers make judgments of complex challenges that are simultaneous of a practical, scientific and ethical nature. In this paper, I will reflect on the collection of empirical data for two case studies on the role of the European Union in the regulation and remediation of labour rights violations in the Kenyan floriculture industry and the South Korean electronics industry. This paper has two intertwined objectives. First, this paper explores reflexivity on my research experience and the use of methods in empirical fieldwork. Second, this paper questions the Anglo-American elements of my research, which had been reinforced by my School’s Research Ethics Committee. I explain how the contexts of research institutions and research participants can starkly differ and may not always be attuned to each other. I suggest that awareness of and training in “positive ethics” might be useful to deal with such issues.

The Republic of Korea (ROK, South Korea) is facing 'omni-directional' threats, including a risk of war with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea). South Korea is building up an appropriate level of military force to be able to counter threats from any direction across regions and operational domains. In addition, the ROK Armed Forces are eager to contribute to a mutually complementary and robust ROK-US alliance to strengthen deterrence and territorial defense. At the same time, South Korea aims to bolster its role on the international stage by increasing its contributions to overseas deployments and out-of-area operations. It actively supports global responses against threats to the international norms and order. In South Korea, the idea that the two goals of national- and international-oriented security are complementary enjoys very broad support.

The healthcare systems of almost every country have been facing an unprecedented crisis since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. In response, numerous countries have designed and launched their unique applications to inform their citizens about COVID-19 and to follow their health situation. While South Korea has been showing an effective fight against COVID-19, Turkey is one of the most affected ones by the virus. This paper aims to identify key differences and similarities between the contact tracing apps that are used by Turkey and South Korea during COVID-19. In this way, it addresses how two members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), one developing (Turkey) and other developed (South Korea) countries, integrated their public policies and crisis management responses with the mobile phone applications and at what scale they are successful. Also, this paper investigates how these differences/similarities between their applications have affected their paths in the pandemic. Comparing their applications, it discusses policy-making processes, technological differences, and contact tracing strategies with policy recommendations for other countries.

The basic cognitive skill of numeracy is a recognized form of human capital, associated with economic and social well being for individuals and for nations. In this study, we explore how occupational complexity relates to proficiency in numeracy, among adults in full-time employment. We operationalize occupational complexity by constructing three measures of task complexity: complexity with data, complexity with people and complexity with things. Data from the international OECD survey of adult skills, 2012, is employed to investigate both the distribution of these three dimensions of occupational task complexity and how these relate to numeracy in 13 countries. The analysis indicates that data occupational complexity predicts numeracy scores, when controlling for age, gender and educational level. The findings open for a hypothesis that occupational activities may enhance basic skills in adult populations. If elaborated and supported through further studies this finding has practical implications for workplace organization and contributes to theoretical understandings of the development of basic skills in adults.