Previous studies have shown that social enterprises can improve the health conditions of socially disadvantaged people through qualitative approaches. As income-related health inequality has grown, the role of social enterprises in addressing this issue has become more significant. This study examined whether social enterprises could positively affect the self-rated health of South Korean low-income residents using multilevel models. The results showed that government-certified social enterprises were associated with positive self-rated health among low-income residents. On the other hand, preliminary social enterprises with insufficient profitability and weak corporate governance showed mixed results. Based on the empirical results, this study suggests relevant policy implications.

先前的研究表明，社会企业可以通过定性方法改善社会处境不利者的健康状况。随着与收入相关的健康不平等现象的加剧，社会企业在解决这一问题方面的作用越来越重要。这项研究使用多层模型研究了社会企业是否可以对韩国低收入居民的自我评价健康产生积极影响。结果表明，政府认证的社会企业与低收入居民的自我评价健康相关。另一方面，盈利能力不足和公司治理薄弱的初级社会企业的结果则好坏参半。根据实证结果，本研究提出了相关的政策含义。