Difficult decisions on care and services for elderly people: the dilemma of setting priorities in the welfare state

The aging of the population combined with restricted economic resources is leading to an increasing gap between care needs and care resources. The first strategy to cope with this growing disparity is often the rather non-controversial attempt to optimize the use of the resources. At some point in time, however, more crucial decisions are needed. Four levels of decision-making in the system of care services may be identified - from decisions regarding national resource allocation to decisions regarding individual users. The different conditions for making decisions and setting priorities at each level must be considered when studying the decision-making process and the consequences - including the repercussions for other levels and sectors. With Sweden as a case, four trends in decision-making can be seen: decentralization of many controversial decisions; redefining of the lines of responsibility between sectors; increasing inequality in the accessibility, cost, and quality of care; and a general lack of public discussion and debate about central welfare issues.     

Trends in national and regional population concentration in the United States from 1790 to 1990: from the frontier to the urban transformation

The United States has undergone sizable changes in its population geography since 1790. A major component of these population shifts has been the rapid movement of the frontier westward as settled area increased. This research shows the population deconcentration effects of the great migration from relatively high densities along the eastern seaboard to the sparsely populated west. This dispersal was followed by concentration stemming from massive urbanization across most of the country after the general “closure” of the frontier during the first decade of the 20th century. This paper examines these levels of population deconcentration or dispersion and concentration in the nation and among regions from 1790 to 1990. Additionally, this research supports the argument for a 1910 date of frontier “closure” through evidence from national population concentration trends. A three-phase model of population concentration and dispersion at the regional and national levels is also proposed. The Hoover index is employed to measure population concentration using county-level population data and digital county maps aggregated at the regional and national levels from all decades from 1790 to 1990.     

论地方政府在泛北部湾区域合作中的职能作用

泛北部湾区域合作,最起码要分别经过中国—东盟高官会议、中国—东盟经济部长会议和中国—东盟外长会议讨论通过,才能形成共同决议或者联合声明。在此国家层面的合作尚未启动的情况下,广西各级政府如何利用自身地沿等优势,抢占先机,积极开展与泛北部湾国家的省、市级的务实性合作,激发相互间经济合作的欲望,通过省、市级之间的合作关系向各国中央政府递进,最终实现国家层面的合作。     

Can Quasi‐market and Multi‐level Governance Co‐exist? Insights from the Case of Lombardy's Employment Services System

This article explores the functioning of Lombardy's networked employment services system, inspired by quasi‐market and horizontal subsidiarity principles, and specifically addresses a gap in the quasi‐market literature, where little attention is devoted to the role played by institutions at lower levels of government. A qualitative study of the Lombardy system, with a focus on the municipality of Milan, is relied upon in order to explore the extent to which the principles of quasi‐market and multi‐level governance pursued by the regional government are allowed to co‐exist in practice. Here, sub‐regional levels of government are directly involved in services provision, but enjoy a more privileged condition relative to the private providers, thereby jeopardizing the implementation of an effective quasi‐market. The article contributes to existing theories by suggesting that horizontal subsidiarity and marketization cannot neglect multi‐level governance in those sectors where public bodies at various levels of government are directly involved in implementation.     

Global–regional interaction to extend access to social protection for migrant workers: Insights from ASEAN and MERCOSUR

Universal access to social protection for migrant workers is emerging as a problematic issue in the implementation of free movement regimes at a regional level. This article focuses on the concept of regional governance as a possible mechanism to address the unsolved challenges of social security regimes to extend coverage. To this end, the article looks at current legal developments in two regional projects (ASEAN and MERCOSUR) to identify a creative approach to strengthen the development of national floors of social protection. The interest of using these case studies lies in exploring whether the regional integration process can play a major role in the progressive extension of social protection rights to migrant workers by facilitating the adoption of social security agreements.     

SPECIAL ISSUE： DISTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL INCOME IN A TRANSITIONAL ECONOMY Labor income shares （LIS） in economic development： an empirical study based on China＇s sectoral-level data

从产业角度对中国劳动收入占比的变化进行实证研究,可以发现,产业结构变化和不同产业劳动收入占比以正相关性同时变化,均加剧了劳动收入占比的波动。基于产业数据对劳动收入占比变化进行分解,可以发现：相对于1993年,1996年劳动收入占比上升主要是由第二产业劳动收入占比提高造成的;相对于1996年,2003年劳动收入占比下降主要与第一产业比重下降有关;2004年的情况比较特殊,这一年劳动收入占比剧烈下降主要源于统计口径变化,造成第二、三产业劳动收入占比大幅减少。劳动收入占比在地区之间存在巨大差异,但是随着时间的推移,该差异在逐渐缩小,这与产业结构和产业内劳动收入占比的变化也密切相关。     

Unification of the Urban Minimum Living Standard in China: Using a Consumption Expenditure Percentile Method

ABSTRACT. The Minimum Living Standard Guarantee (MLSG) system in urban China was established in the 1990s. As a national income benefit program, this system has huge regional differences as a result of regional variation in economic development and the methods used to calculate the benefit. This article uses a consumption expenditure percentile method to measure and evaluate the benefit level of the MLSG system. The analysis shows that the consumption expenditure replacement rates in central cities are decreasing, but in prefectural-level cities, by contrast, they are increasing. The regional differences in replacement rates when comparing central cities are considerable and are even larger among cities at a prefecture level. Per-capita consumption expenditure is positively correlated with minimal living standards but negatively correlated with the replacement rate. Such variation in the value and operation of the MLSG system suggests an urgent need to implement a national unified scheme. The article proposes a single approach to calculating Minimum Living Standard benefits using a consumption expenditure replacement rate that would allow for local differences while providing national cohesion.     

Sectoral FDI inflows and domestic investments in Pakistan

In this paper, for the first time, we analyze the relation of sectoral FDI with domestic investment in Pakistan by using ARDL cointegration technique over a period of 1980–2012. Empirical findings show that aggregate FDI crowd in domestic investment, however, the effects of aggregate FDI on domestic investment in Pakistan cannot be generalized. The impact of FDI on domestic investment varies across sectors. The empirical findings in the study at sectoral level suggests that FDI in manufacturing and services sectors crowd in domestic investment while FDI in primary sector assert insignificant impact on domestic investment in Pakistan. Analyzing the reverse causal impact running from domestic investment to FDI, this study confirm that domestic investment is important in attracting FDI across the board in all the three sectors i.e. primary, manufacturing and services sectors. The positive role of FDI in manufacturing and services sectors and supportive role of indigenous investment infrastructure is of utmost importance for FDI to promote domestic investment in Pakistan.     

我国区域规划特点、问题及区域发展新格局

我国国家级区域规划不仅成为国家战略布局和区域发展政策的重要工具,同时也应当成为引领区域经济科学发展的行动指南。制定和出台国家级区域规划必须立足于国家整体战略,能够引导区域内各主体一致行动,规划实施的关键在于建立有效的区域协调机制。未来我国沿海经济带将走向＂俱乐部趋同＂,大城市圈对区域资源配置的主导性增强,产业资本将替代劳动力成为要素流动的主体,民族地区经济的战略地位跃升。     

Trade openness and manufacturing growth in Malaysia

This study investigates the long-run relationship between trade openness and manufacturing growth and further assesses the causal relationship between these variables. Contrary to some scholars belief that at national level, openness does not contribute to growth in Malaysia, our sector specific analysis suggest otherwise. In this aspect, we believe that in any attempt to establish relationship between openness and growth, the analysis should be sector specific since it is more relevant as well as assures a meaningful insight for policy makers. The results suggest that in the long-run, trade openness is positively related to manufacturing growth in Malaysia. Furthermore, the results also suggest that openness should be viewed as the long term policy initiative for the sector to benefit. Therefore, the policy direction for Malaysian manufacturing sectors should focus on long term trade openness policies. Nevertheless, to ensure sustainability, emphasis should be placed on how (which manufacturing sub-sectors) or when openness is actually important. Importantly, policy makers and scholars should understand that leveraging the benefits of openness also depend on whether the liberalized sector has the comparative advantage.     

Modeling agricultural risk management policies – The implementation of the Income Stabilization Tool in Italy

This paper investigates the potential impact of the income stabilisation tool (IST), currently introduced in the European Common Agricultural Policy to reduce farmers’ income risks using Italian agriculture as case study. The paper extends the existing literature by investigating the effects of two implementation issues: level of aggregation of mutual funds (MF); definition of farmers’ contribution (i.e. premium) to MF. We use a simulation approach based on a FADN panel data set of 3421 farms over a period of 7 years to investigate effects on (i) farm-level income variability, (ii) the expected level and variability of indemnifications at the level of mutual funds and (iii) the distribution of net benefits from this policy instrument across the farm population. We find that the introduction of the IST would lead to a significant reduction of income variability in Italian agriculture. Our results support the establishment of a national mutual fund due to the high volatility of indemnification levels at more disaggregated (e.g. regional or sectoral) levels. In addition, our results propose that farmers’ contribution to mutual funds, i.e. premiums paid, should be modulated according to farm size as this reduces the inequality of the distribution of benefits of such tool within the farm population.     

Systematizing Knowledge of User Influence – A Study of User Advisory Boards in Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

While there is a great deal of interest in, and literature describing user influence in mental health and substance abuse services at the individual level, there are fewer studies of collective user influence at the organizational level. This article presents the findings of a study of the development of user advisory councils in regional organizations providing substance abuse services, which were part of a national implementation project in Sweden. A survey of both users and professionals involved in the local projects, in addition to interviews with key actors at the national level, were completed and analyzed with reference to the results of a literature review. The overall aim of the study was to identify obstacles and success factors related to the development of collective user influence at the programme and system levels. The results indicated that there was an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards experience‐based knowledge and the potential for developing formal, collective user influence in these organizations. Users and professionals had common viewpoints regarding the obstacles and success factors, which included: addressing power relations, establishing legitimacy, assigning resources, investing in sustainability and planning for real participation. They were also substantially in agreement as to the strategies that would be needed in the future in order to move from ideology to action. These factors form the basis for a model that might be used to support the systematic implementation of this type of organized user influence.     

地区间个人收入差距的状况及特点(英文)

在地区收入差距的文献中，一直缺乏从个人收入角度出发的研究；而关于个人收入分配的研究，也很少考察地区差异。文章使用2005年全国1％人口普查数据，从个人收入角度描述了全国及（几种不同定义下的）地区间的个人收入差距，并分析了影响个人收入差距的因素，得到了一些有意义的结果。     

SPECIAL ISSUE： DISTRIBUTION OF NATIONAL INCOME IN A TRANSITIONAL ECONOMY Who is the predator,who the prey？ --an analysis of changes in the state of China＇s national income distribution

本文以2004年经济普查后修订的资金流量表为基础，依次从国民收入的初次分配和再分配两个阶段，分析了1992—2005年期间我国国民收入在企业、政府和居民三部门之间分配格局的变化，重点讨论了自1996年以来居民收入占比下降的原因。在分析初次分配格局时，本文将每个部门的初次分配收入占比表示为各要素分配份额按各要素收入中该部门所占比重加权得到的加权平均值。利用这一表示方式，我们校正了资金流量表中的要素分配份额，重新计算了1993—2005年间的国民收入分配格局，并推算了2006和2007年的国民收入分配格局。测算结果表明，居民部门在全国可支配收入中的占比在1996年达到最高，此后逐年降低，截止N2005年，总共下降了12．72个百分点。在初次分配和再分配阶段，居民部门分别下降了10．71和2．01个百分点。与之相对应，企业和政府部门在初次分配中的占比分别上升了7．49和3．21个百分点；在再分配阶段，居民和企业部门收入占比都下降，由此导致政府部门进一步上升3．17个百分点。我们还发现，国民收入的要素分配中劳动收入占比下降和财产收入占比下降，是居民部门在国民收入初次分配中占比下降的两个主要原因。在2005—2007年间，主要受生产水净额占比上升的影响，居民部门在国民收入中占比进一步下降了3个百分点以上．     

完善民族地方自治立法促进民族地区和谐社会建设

民族区域自治制度是我国处理民族问题的基本政治制度。作为民族区域自治制度有效保障的民族自治地方立法还不尽完善,制约着和谐社会的建设步伐。完善民族自治地方立法,需要切实转变观念,提高立法效率,重视立法技术,充实有关内容,加强民族经济立法,重视对少数民族习惯法的研究和借鉴。健全和完善民族自治地方立法,有利于坚持和完善民族区域自治制度,促进和谐的民族大家庭建设,加快少数民族和民族地区经济社会的全面协调和可持续发展,实现各民族共同繁荣。     

Party control, policy reforms, and the impact on health insurance coverage in the U.S. states

Objectives. One of the major policy concerns at the federal and state level is the rising number of individuals without health insurance. The purpose of this article is to investigate whether party control of government and various state reforms impact the percentage of the state population without health insurance.Methods. Using data from 1987–2007, I empirically examine whether party control and five state policy reforms reduce the uninsured population.Results. The results show that Republicans are more effective than Democrats at the state level at reducing insurance gaps and that three of five policy reforms explored appear to significantly expand insurance coverage.Conclusions. The results provide valuable insight into which components of health-care reform at the national level may help address the health insurance problem.     

加快发展南宁市服务贸易的对策研究

服务贸易发展水平是衡量一国对外贸易以及国民经济实力的重要标志。发展服务贸易是提高南宁参与国际分工和竞争能力的新举措。南宁市加快发展服务贸易应从战略着眼,促进重点行业服务贸易发展,扩大服务贸易能量。     

我国国债的挤出效应分析

财政以发行国债方式为扩大政府支出筹集资金,在我国现阶段产生的挤出效应是不明显的,其经济效应是在一定程度上有利于社会总需求的扩张和经济的增长.根据我国现阶段国债对非政府部门投资和消费的挤出效应的特点,笔者进一步分析了其对我国宏观经济调控政策的启示.     

Policy transfer from the UN to ASEAN: the case of trafficking in persons

This article examines the policy transfer from the United Nations (UN) to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the case of trafficking in persons (TIP). It presents pioneering empirical research that analyzes the processes and mechanisms of policy transfer between the UN and a regional organization. Institutional collective action and regime complex theories in international relations are used to complement the existing state-centric policy transfer framework. We argue that the UN-ASEAN policy transfer in TIP is characterized by a two-step process, starting with transfer from the UN to the ASEAN member states, followed by synthesis at the regional level. The consensus-based decision-making approach in ASEAN restricts transfer outcomes to a common low base of national preferences, which is the lowest common denominator. The ability of stakeholders in the TIP field to steer lesson drawing, emulation and coercive transfer at both the national and regional levels allows them to influence the lowest common denominator. At the same time, policy transfer to ASEAN is shaped by “forum-shopping” by the ASEAN member states and other stakeholders within the TIP regime complex, based on the comparative advantage between ASEAN and other cooperation mechanisms in solving TIP-related issues.     

Testing the affluence hypothesis: A cross-cultural analysis of the determinants of environmental action

This paper tests empirically the “affluence hypothesis” that states that the level of national income per capita influences the level of environmental concern expressed by the population. The hypothesis is tested in cross-sectional analyses of five aggregate variables measuring involvement in environmental protection. These variables are derived from answers to the World Values Survey (third wave). The interdisciplinary literature on the emergence of environmental awareness suggests that, in addition to national income, levels of education, subjective well-being, population density and income inequality may positively impact national preferences regarding environmental protection. The analysis conducted in this paper shows some statistical evidence of a U-shaped relationship between GDP per capita and some measures of environmental action. Furthermore, it is found that income inequality, education, population density and subjective well-being play a role in explaining cross-cultural differences in preferences over specific environmental actions. Overall the evidence included in this paper lends qualified support to the “affluence hypothesis.” However, it also indicates that involvement in environmental protection may be stronger in poorer countries than is commonly thought.