Changing dynamics of social policy in democracy: comparing pension and health reforms in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

Much research attaches importance of democracy to welfare expansion. We offer a revised argument to neutralize this view. Drawing on the insights of historical institutionalism, we examine the reforms of the National Pension Insurance and National Health Insurance in Taiwan, and compare their policy processes alongside four dimensions: actor constellations, interactive modes of policymaking, policy networks, and power relationships. We highlight the diverse political dynamics in terms of the state capacity and state-society relationships that led to different policy outcomes. The present study offers an insight for understanding the intricate relationships between democratization and social policy in East Asia.

KEYWORDS:

• Democratization
• healthcare reform
• pension reform
• Taiwan
• East Asian social policy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The legislative election rules have undergone changes since 2008: Whilst 73 legislators are elected under the first-past-the-post system in single-member constituencies, another 34 are elected under the supplementary member system on a second ballot, based on nationwide votes and calculated by the largest remainder method.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan [MOST 108-2410-H-002-205-MY2].

Notes on contributors

Hsiu-Hui Chen

Hsiu-Hui Chen is a professor in the Department of Social Work, Tunghai University. She is currently director of the Taiwan Social Administration Association, and serves in the executive committees of both Taiwan Social Policy Association and Taiwan International Council on Social Welfare. She is also involved in the policy advisory task for social insurance programmes of the Ministry of Interior, Taiwan. Over the last few years, she has been engaged in the issues of developing the National Pension Supervision System and alleviating child poverty in Taiwan. She has published widely on analysis of these relevant policy fields.

Shih-Jiunn Shi

Shih-Jiunn Shi is a professor in the Graduate Institute of National Development, National Taiwan University. He currently serves as Chair of the East Asian Social Policy Research Network (http://welfareasia.org/). His major research fields include East Asian social policy and social policy in Greater China regions. He has published papers in several journals including the Ageing & Society, Journal of Social Policy, Journal of Asian Public Policy, Policy & Politics, Public Management Review, and Social Policy & Administration.