Ageing Matters: European Policy Lessons From The East

by Doling, John F.; Jones Finer, Catherine; Maltby, Tony; Finer, Catherine Jones

• ISBN13: 9780754642374
• ISBN10: 0754642372
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-01-31
• Publisher: Ashgate Pub Co

Summary

The implications of population ageing have long concerned politicians, policy makers and governmental and non-governmental organizations in the welfare states of Europe. However, an ageing workforce is increasingly a matter of concern for the developed and fast-developing countries of Asia. Japan leads the field in this respect on account of the speed of its postwar economic development. But the little tigers of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan are poised to catch up, and Malaysia, though in the second tier of developing Asian economics, faces the prospect of population ageing sufficient to daunt an as yet under-prepared infrastructure for old age support.This book is the first to examine in detail the experiences and prospects of population ageing in those Asian countries with the highest GDP per capita. The authors pose the question to what extent Asia and 'old Europe' can learn from each other in terms of policy planning. The first section of the book sets out the field in terms of the demographic characteristics and policy predicaments of European and Asian countries. The second section presents case-studies of six countries: Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia.The book will greatly interest academics, postgraduates and professionals in gerontology, social policy, comparative social policy, public policy, political economy, sociology, social work and social security.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	vii
List of Figures	ix
List of Contributors	x
Acknowledgements	xi
PART I: THE CONTEXT
1 Editorial Introduction
John Doling	3	(6)
2 Prospects for Pragmatism: Trading Lessons in Social Policy Between East and West
Catherine Jones Finer	9	(10)
3 Ageing and Social Policy in the European Union: A Contextual Overview
Tony Maltby and Gordon Deuchars	19	(22)
PART II: THE CASE STUDIES
4 Malaysia: Supporting Families
Roziah Omar	41	(15)
5 Population Ageing in Singapore: The Challenge of Using the Central Provident Fund for Retirement Needs
Tee Liang Ngiam	56	(20)
6 Ageing Issues and Policy in Hong Kong: Lessons for Other Countries
Joe C.B. Leung	76	(20)
7 Universal Values Versus Political Ideology: The Virtual Reform Experience of Taiwan's National Pension Plan
Hsiao-hung Nancy Chen	96	(27)
8 National Policies on Ageing in South Korea
Sung-Jae Choi and Seong-Hoon Bae	123	(27)
9 Inter-generational Equity and Social Solidarity: Japan's Search for an Integrated Policy on Ageing
Tetsuo Ogawa	150	(29)
PART III: THE LESSONS
10 Ageing in East and Southeast Asia
Paul Wilding	179	(8)
11 Lessons to Be Learnt
John Doling, Catherine Jones Finer and Tony Maltby	187
Statistical Appendix: Ageing Matters in Figures
Li Kan	197	(4)
Index	201