Network analysis to examine infectious contact relations provides an important means to uncover the topologies of individual infectious contact networks. This study aims to investigate the spread of diseases among individuals over contact networks by exploring the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in Korea. We present several distinct features of MERS transmission by employing a comprehensive approach in network research to examine both the traced relationship matrix of infected individuals and their bipartite transmission routes among healthcare facilities visited for treatment. The results indicate that a few super-spreaders were more likely to hold certain structural advantages by linking to an exceptional number of other individuals, causing several ongoing transmission events in neighbourhoods without the aid of any intermediary. Thus, the infectious contact network exhibited small-world dynamics characterised by locally clustered contacts exposed to transmission paths via short path lengths. In addition, nosocomial infection analysis shows the pattern of a common-source outbreak followed by secondary person-to-person transmission of the disease. Based on the results, we suggest policy implications related to the redesign of prevention and control strategies against the spread of epidemics.

South Korea has experienced a rapid increase in the emergence of social enterprises that aim to address various social problems. However, little is known about the conditions that can affect the emergence of social enterprises at the regional level. This study examined the regional factors that influence the establishment of social enterprises using a panel dataset of observations on 17 metropolitan cities and provinces in South Korea from 2012 to 2019. The appearance of social enterprises in regional entrepreneurial ecosystems was found to be associated with the market, government, networks, financial resources, and human capital. We also found that the determinants of their emergence within South Korea’s social enterprise ecosystem vary based on their level of development and purpose. Based on the results, we suggested several policy implications and suggestions.

As the number of research grants distributed to academic research in science has been continuously increasing, it is necessary to examine various factors that affect research quality. While there have been a large number of studies on factors that affect research productivity or performance, their empirical results have been quite inconclusive and conflicting. We argue that one of the reasons for mixed results involves the measurement of research performance. To tackle the problem, we measure the quality of government-funded research through journal impact factors as well as journal rankings, considering the specific features of academic disciplines. We find that the magnitude and degree of factors vary depending on how research quality is measured. More interestingly, several variables including researchers’ ages, the number of authors, and international collaboration show completely different results according to the level of journal ranking. Based on the empirical results, we suggest policy interventions that can improve the quality of government-supported research.

This research aims to examine whether income inequality affects economic performance at the regional level, which is mediated by entrepreneurship. By considering hierarchical preferences in consumption, it assumes that income inequality has a negative influence on regional economic growth because it lowers the incentive to innovate. Using a structural equation model, the effect of income inequality on regional economic performance, as well as the mediating effect of entrepreneurship, is tested. The results show that income inequality negatively affects both entrepreneurship and economic growth. This result suggests that insufficient demand for new products/services hampers entrepreneurial activities as well as regional economic performance. The findings contribute to the field, highlighting that entrepreneurship mediates between income inequality and economic performance based on demands.