Taiwan's path to national health insurance (1950–1995)

This study explores the evolution of statutory health insurance in the Republic of China on Taiwan from its inception in 1950 through to the inauguration of the National Health Insurance Programme in 1995. The main focus of the study is the timings of the adoption of the different statutory health insurance schemes targeted to the various segments of the population. It is argued that Taiwan's adoption of Labour Insurance for workers in 1950 could be best explained by the country's specific historical circumstance. The then-ruling Nationalist government was keen to build up Taiwan as a showcase for the whole of China. The inauguration of the National Health Insurance Programme in 1995 was predominantly subjected to the Nationalist government's adjustment to its changing political position.     

Comparison of the EU T25 Single Point Estimate Method with Benchmark Dose Response Modeling for Estimating Potency of Carcinogens

The T25 single-point estimate method of evaluating the carcinogenic potency of a chemical, which is currently used by the European Union (EU) and is denoted the EU approach, is based on the selection of a single dose in a chronic bioassay with an incidence rate that is significantly higher than the background rate. The T25 is determined from that single point by a linear extrapolation or interpolation to the chronic dose (in mg/kg/day), at which a 25% increase in the incidence of the specified tumor type is expected, corrected for the background rate. Another method used to obtain a carcinogenic potency value based on a 25% increase in incidence above the background rate is the estimation of a T25 derived from a benchmark dose (BMD) response model fit to the chronic bioassay data for the specified tumor type. A comparison was made between these two methods using 276 chronic bioassays conducted by the National Toxicology Program. In each of the 2-year bioassays, a tumor type was selected based on statistical and biological significance, and both EU T25 and BMD T25 estimates were determined for that end point. In addition, simulations were done using underlying cumulative probability distributions to examine the effect of dose spacing, the number of animals per dose group, the possibility of a dose threshold, and variation in the background incidence rates on the EU T25 and BMD estimates. The simulations showed that in the majority of cases the EU T25 method underestimated the true T25 dose and overestimated the carcinogenic potency. The BMD estimate is generally less biased and has less variation about the true T25 value than the EU estimate.     

Analysis of short-term systematic measurement error variance for the difference of paired data without repetition of measurement

The variance of short-term systematic measurement errors for the difference of paired data is estimated. The difference of paired data is determined by subtracting the measurement results of two methods, which measure the same item only once without measurement repetition. The unbiased estimators for short-term systematic measurement error variances based on the one-way random effects model are not fit for practical purpose because they can be negative. The estimators, which are derived for balanced data as well as for unbalanced data, are always positive but biased. The basis of these positive estimators is the one-way random effects model. The biases, variances, and the mean squared errors of the positive estimators are derived as well as their estimators. The positive estimators are fit for practical purpose.     

Parental Socioeconomic Background and Child Behaviour

Although childhood obesity has long been in focus, little is known about the sensitivity of behavioural choices to measure parental resource constraints. The aim of this study is to examine the heterogeneous effects of children’s (or their parents’) choices of lifestyle subject to information and resource constraints, respectively. We address this issue using a unique longitudinal data set of almost 1,500 schoolchildren attending state schools between 2008 and 2010 in the Danish Municipality of Aalborg. One empirical strategy is to control for a rich set of child and parental characteristics; another is to use child fixed effect to control for fixed unobserved child characteristics. By including the interaction between child behaviour and parental socioeconomic background, a more complete but more complex picture arises. Our findings challenge the predominant assumption that behaviour and weight is a choice made by children, or their parents.     

Estimation and regularization techniques for regression models with multidimensional prediction functions

Boosting is one of the most important methods for fitting regression models and building prediction rules. A notable feature of boosting is that the technique can be modified such that it includes a built-in mechanism for shrinking coefficient estimates and variable selection. This regularization mechanism makes boosting a suitable method for analyzing data characterized by small sample sizes and large numbers of predictors. We extend the existing methodology by developing a boosting method for prediction functions with multiple components. Such multidimensional functions occur in many types of statistical models, for example in count data models and in models involving outcome variables with a mixture distribution. As will be demonstrated, the new algorithm is suitable for both the estimation of the prediction function and regularization of the estimates. In addition, nuisance parameters can be estimated simultaneously with the prediction function.     

Zukunftstrends und ihre Implikationen für das Coaching

Future trends and its implications for coaching In this theoretical work the author analyzes the current personal requirements in labour and its psychological impact to individuals, taking a psycho-sociological perspective. Focusing the employee who nowadays has to act like an entrepreneur, this bears a new personal strain: to establish his or her value and bring it to the market. This changed view is contrasting the traditional labour relations and its psychological effects should be supported by coaching in the future.     

The Changing Space for NGOs: Civil Society in Authoritarian and Hybrid Regimes

In this introductory essay to the special issue on civil society in authoritarian and hybrid regimes, we review core themes in the growing literature on shrinking or closing space for civil society. We discuss the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) as agents of democratization and note the emergence of dual, at times apparently conflicting policy postures within authoritarian regimes (restriction and repression for some CSOs vs. financial support and opportunities for collaboration for others). We posit that different conceptual perspectives applied to civil society can help account for the duality of authoritarian postures and examine repercussions for three key subgroups of CSOs: claims-making (or advocacy) NGOs, nonprofit service providers and regime-loyal NGOs supporting often populist and nationalist discourses.