Ilcheong Yi

Ilcheong Yi is a political scientist and social policy analyst currently serving as the Senior Research Coordinator leading the Alternative Economies for Transformation Program at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). His work focuses on economic and social policies aimed at addressing poverty, inequality, and promoting sustainable development and alternative economies, such as social and solidarity economy.
==Early Life and Education==
Ilcheong Yi was born in Busan, the Republic of Korea, on October 23, 1966 and grew up in Seoul, the Republic of Korea. He obtained his Bachelor and Master degrees in Political Science from Seoul National University, Seoul, the Republic of Korea, in 1990 and 1992, respectively. He served with the Republic of Korea Air Force as a Troop Information and Education Officer (lieutenant) from 1992 to 1995. He later pursued his Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Social Policy and Administration from Oxford University, Oxford, the United Kingdom, completing his studies in 2002.
==Career==
Ilcheong Yi's career spans various roles in academia and research institutions:
•	Research and Teaching Positions: Before joining UNRISD, Ilcheong Yi held positions as Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Comparative Social and Cultural Studies and the Graduate School of Languages and Cultures at Kyushu University, Japan, from 2004 to 2008. He also served as a Korea Foundation Visiting Professor at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Stein Rokkan Centre, University of Bergen, Norway.
•	United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD): Ilcheong Yi joined UNRISD in October 2008 as a Research Coordinator and later assumed the role of Senior Research Coordinator in 2016. At UNRISD, he has been instrumental in leading research projects and coordinating efforts related to development issues, with a particular focus on alternative economies and transformative social policies.
==Research and Publications==
Ilcheong Yi has authored and edited numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and books, addressing various aspects of social policy, development studies, and sustainable development. Some of his notable publications include:
•	Towards Universal Health Care in Emerging Economies: Opportunities and Challenges
•	Learning from Korean Developmental Success: Effective Developmental Cooperation and Synergistic Institutions and Policies (2014, Palgrave Macmillan)
•	The Korean State and Social Policy: How South Korea Lifted from Poverty and Dictatorship to Affluence and Democracy (2011, Oxford University Press)
•	Encyclopedia of Social and Solidarity Economy (2024, Edward Elgar)
• Emerging Trends in Social Policy (2024, Policy Press)
His research contributions span topics such as health care, social and solidarity economy, sustainable development goals (SDGs), and international development cooperation.
==Languages and Skills==
Ilcheong Yi is proficient in Korean, English and Japanese. He can also communicate in French.
==Personal Life==
Beyond his professional endeavors, little is publicly known about Ilcheong Yi's personal life.
Category:Political scientists
Category:Social policy
Category:People from Busan
Category:1966 births