Social Change and Social Policy in Japan

This paper aims to present and discuss social change and social policy in Japan after the mid-20th century from a sociological viewpoint. Japanese social change and social policy from the mid-20th century onward can be categorized into three models in chronological order: escape from mass poverty by means of industrialization, improvement of the social security system to establish a welfare state, and parallel progress of aspiration for a welfare society and workfare. Defined concretely, these are (1) the period that established and improved social security, which started immediately after the end of World War II and ended in 1973, when Japan began to suffer from low growth after enjoying high growth; (2) the period in which finance for social security was adjusted, halfway through which the country experienced a bubble economy; and (3) the period after the 1990s, in which the structural reform of social security went hand-in-hand with labor policy and the advent of globalization. In each of the three periods, the direction of social policy was affected by factors that caused changes in such areas as industrial structure (the decline of agriculture), demographic structure (an aging society), and family structure and work pattern (the growing trend of nuclear families, single-person households, and irregular employment). In Japan, life security now attracts increasing attention, and employment security rather than social security has been the central issue. As it is greatly affected by globalization, employment security grows less conspicuous and makes the vulnerability of social security grow more conspicuous. Social policy has the potential to become an area with which to struggle for national integration and fissures between social groups.     

医疗保险对农村居民家庭消费的影响分析--基于不同收入层级的跨地区比较

利用2009、2010农村固定观察点数据,分析了医疗保险对不同地区、不同收入层级的农村居民家庭医疗消费支出和非医疗消费支出的影响。实证结果表明：医疗保险对农村居民家庭的医疗类消费不存在显著影响,对非医疗类消费支出则存在显著的正向促进作用。分地区来看,医疗保险对东西部地区农村居民家庭医疗类消费的影响差异显著,对东中部地区农村居民家庭非医疗类消费支出的影响同样差异显著;分收入层级来看,医疗保险对家庭医疗类消费的影响在不同收入层级的农村居民家庭之间不存在显著差异,但对非医疗类消费支出的影响在不同收入层级之间差异显著。此外,商业医疗保险作为医疗保险体系的重要组成部分,对促进农村消费起到带动作用。最后,本文从加大政府补贴和完善保障机制两个方面提出政策建议以期有效降低农村居民家庭超常的预防性储蓄,促进农村居民家庭消费。     

Inequality in Social Insurance Participation and Generosity: Do Firm Characteristics Matter?

Income inequality in China has been much documented and debated. However, one important aspect of income inequality – social insurance inequality – has been largely understudied. We use a large national panel of firm data to examine the possible influence of various firm characteristics on the inequalities in social insurance participation and generosity in the period 2004–07. Our findings reveal substantial ownership sector and regional gaps in social insurance provision by firms, with the private domestic sector and those in the central region lagging behind. Unionized firms, larger firms, and firms with greater market shares also tend to provide better social insurance to their employees. While being an exporting firm is linked with greater social insurance participation and generosity, being a purely exporting firm, however, is associated with reduced social insurance generosity. Lastly, highly educated workers receive substantially better social insurance coverage than their less educated peers. These social insurance inequalities are highly relevant as China pushes forward with establishing a unified social insurance system across urban‐rural boundaries, ownership sectors and industries.     

Domesticating insurance,financializing family lives: the case of private health insurance for children in Finland

This article explores the domestication of a financial instrument that is much used in contemporary Finland, but that most of its users do not primarily think about in terms of being a financial instrument: the private health insurance for children. In Finland, all children are covered by social insurance and are entitled to free public health service with very low costs, if any. Yet, some 40 percent of families want to supplement this service with private products. Many fear that the popularity of the private health insurance for children contributes to a vicious circle that ends up weakening the legitimacy of, and the service given by, the public health sector; inequality in the face of health risks threatens to be aggravated, as well. Therefore, this financial instrument has become an object of political controversy. The main question of the article is: how do economic, political and moral valuations become intertwined in the domestication of insurance? The concept of ‘domestication’ is found helpful for analysing the pragmatics of valuation and for appreciating the dynamics and the heterogeneity of forces at play when financialization influences everyday life. The study argues that when financial instruments are appropriated they are also transformed; thus, they should not be viewed as homogeneous tools that have similar effects in all contexts of use. The main empirical materials studied are interviews with families with and without private health insurance policies for their children.     

The Impact of In-Home Services Utilization on the Institutionalization of Older People in Korea

As a result of aging populations, institutionalization of older people is creating an increasing financial burden in many countries. The purpose of the present study was to explore the impact of in-home service utilization on institutionalization. The subjects were newly certified as eligible for long-term care insurance between January and February 2009 in Korea. The follow-up period was 40 months, to April 2012. We used logistic regression models to identify factors influencing the transition to institutional service, adjusting for gender, age, living status, income level, activities of daily living, and chronic disease. The institutionalization rate was estimated to be 17.3% over 40 months. The interval from transitional living to institutionalization was 36 ± 8 months. Risk factors of transition to institutional services are being female, having advanced age, living with friends or cousins, getting dementia, and not using in-home services. We determined that institutionalization is mitigated by use of in-home services. Therefore, supplying appropriate in-home services to current nonusers would help to greatly reduce the rate of institutionalization of older people.     

社会保障、代际支持如何影响城镇老年人退而不休?

对城镇老年人退而不休的动因分析,是合理开发和管理老年人力资源的前提.基于代际支持的传导作用,研究发现,具有较高社会保障水平、健康状况较好和学历较高的城镇老年人选择退而不休更倾向于实现自我价值,同时,足够的家庭养老支持对他们积极发挥余热的动机有正向推动作用;而健康状况较差和学历较低的城镇老年人,由于家庭养老支持不足、其付出与获得的家庭资源不对等以及由此产生的社会保障"外溢"等压力,更可能以获得收入为动机选择退而不休,进而导致其发展权利受损.因此,有差别地开发和管理老年人力资源、谨慎制定并实施延迟退休政策,对实现积极、健康的老龄化社会有着重要的意义.     

社会保险与家庭金融风险资产投资

社会保险是否影响家庭在金融风险资产中的投资决策呢?本文使用两期家庭最优决策模型得到的理论分析结果表明,社会保险不仅能够提高家庭在风险资产中的投资广度和深度,而且对于不确定性更大、风险承受更强家庭的影响更为显著.基于省级层面得到的宏观实证检验结果和基于2011年家庭金融调查数据得到家庭层面的微观实证检验结果都支持了上述理论结论.本文的发现对于协调社会保险发展和建立多层级金融市场具有很强的政策意义.     

新常态下推进"撤村建居"的探索与思考

"撤村建居"是一个庞大的系统工程,与国家、集体和个人利益息息相关,稍有不慎就会造成社会的不稳定因素.要以有利于经济社会全面发展、有利于加强社会事务管理、有利于提高人民生活水平为要求,统一规划,合理布局,加快农村社区建设,推进新型城镇化步伐.在实施过程中应注意妥善解决好以下问题:"撤村建居"过程中原村集体资产的处置,"撤村建居"后的换届,"撤村建居"后的公益事业及工作经费,"撤村建居"后的社区划分和管理,失地农民的社会保障,建设资金的来源等.     

银行证券保险业监管比较

银行、证券、保险三行业因其业务特性不同,从而面临的主要风险及风险表现的特征也不同。各行业的风险管理既表现出针对主要风险、服从业务特征的共性,也表现出在具体管理技术、方法上的差异性。因此,三行业的监管导向及监管实践都存在着差异和侧重：银行业突出系统性、监管协调和对资产的监管;证券业强调监管对象的多层次性、监管的透明性和对业务的监管;保险业以承保风险为核心,突出母国鉴定和对负债的监管。