An examination of reforms on the social security system of retirement based on practices in Hainan province

"The first task of this article is to analyze and dissect the seven major drawbacks of the current disjointed retirement system [in China] characterized by collection of pension for immediate distribution. This will be followed by an introduction of the reforms on the social security system of elderly support for enterprise retirees carried out in Hainan Province and specific social security and elderly support practices by private businesses in Haikou, capital city of Hainan Province....Special inquiries are made regarding the necessity and feasibility of establishing a national uniform social security system of elderly support covering civil servants, enterprise workers, private business owners, managers, and employees and farmers."

A new elderly support system in rural areas in Shanghai

"In early 1987, we started an experiment in the rural areas in Shanghai suburbs on how to replace the elderly support system then in effect, which was funded by the community, with one that was to be jointly supported by the State, the community and private individuals. The two-year experiment has yielded a new elderly support system applicable to China's rural areas that have a more developed economy and a fairly large number of collectively owned township enterprises.... This article gives a brief introduction to the economic and social background and characteristics of the system."

America's elderly: policy implications

Senior citizens, particularly those aged 75 or older, are the fastest growing group in the US today. 25 million strong, the elderly make up 11% of the total population, the proportion ranging from 18.1% in Florida to 2.6% in Alaska. 1/4 of the federal budget, $155 billion in 1980, now goes to their support yet many face difficulty in gaining access to the programs designed to benefit them. The elderly, especially those who rely solely on Social Security, comprise a disproportionate share of all poor households. The retirement system itself is facing financing challenges that promise to grow as the baby boom generation swells the number of senior citizens to 55 million in 2030. Plans to coordinate government programs and improve the method of financing the retirement system are receiving increasing attention. Financing Social Security from revenue funds, or with actuarial reserves, are 2 alternatives to the present pay-as-you-go system. Another area of concern to policymakers is America's health care system, which is now crisis oriented and heavily biased toward institutionalization. Health care must be made more responsive to the long-term needs of the oldest segment of the population, many of whom suffer from chronic illnesses. Impaired elderly receive most of their care from family or friends, and private organizations, but this natural support network largely has been ignored by government. New program initiatives might emphasize homemaker services, geriatric day care, compensation for families that provide for the needs of an elderly relative, and the strengthening of the informal partnership between the elderly themselves, their families and friends, community groups, private organizations, and government at the state and local as well as the federal level.

Refugee dynamics: Angolans in Zambia 1966 to 1972

"The following study of Angolan refugees in Zambia examines the decision-making dynamics of refugee movements, documents a case of extensive self-settlement, describes the background to the refugee movement, and briefly compares the welfare of self-settling refugees and those who are in government schemes."