Suchergebnisse

Since the late 1950s, Hong Kong's public health services have increased. They are mainly funded by taxes, supplemented by minimal user fees. In the late 1980s, the government recognized the limitations of this financing model and subsequently proposed alternative methods of funding. Their proposals have been rejected by various stakeholders, who represented different, and even conflicting, values and interests. This paper describes the development of health services and the debates that have surrounded health financing since the late 1980s. It shows that the health finance debate in Hong Kong is not a simple issue that can be tackled by rational planning; instead, it is a complex consequence of welfare politics in an increasingly mobilized society.

English This article reports the findings of the first survey of men's self-help groups in Hong Kong. Group members and social workers felt that these contributed significantly to improvements in interpersonal skills and social networking, but also that men's services have been marginalized due to lack of societal support and a proper understanding of men's needs. French Cet article présente le rapport des résultats de la première enquête des groupes d'entraide d'hommes à Hong Kong. Les membres du groupe et les travailleurs sociaux expriment le fait que ces groupes ont contribué de manière significative aux améliorations des aptitudes interpersonnelles et à la construction de réseaux sociaux, mais aussi que les services à destination des hommes ont été marginalisés du fait du manque de soutien sociétal et faute d'une compréhension appropriée des besoins des hommes. Spanish Este ensayo describe los descubrimientos de la primera encuesta de grupos de autoayuda para hombres en Hong Kong. Los miembros de los grupos y los trabajadores sociales sintieron que estos grupos contribuyeron significativamente a mejorar las habilidades interpersonales y las redes sociales, pero también que los servicios a los hombres han sido marginados debido a la falta de apoyo social y de un entendimiento apropiado de las necesidades de los hombres.

This paper uses the concept of risk to frame an analysis of welfare reforms and politics in Hong Kong following the financial crisis. Recently, the government and the public have been increasingly exposed to, and aware of, risk. The old welfare policies were considered ineffective in coping with new risks and were gradually replaced by new strategies, formulated in accordance with risk-led welfare discourse. The new risks and the risk management policies have reconfigured political alignments and power relationships among various stakeholders, who continue to debate risk definitions and appropriate responses. The perception and significance of risk, especially after the financial crisis, in reconfiguring risk politics, reconstituting power among the state and various groups, and constructing welfare discourse and policies will be examined. Even though actual risk has greatly diminished since 2004, risk has been entrenched in government policy.

Abstract In the 1970s and up until the financial crisis occurred in the late 1990s, Hong Kong prospered in a relatively stable social, economic and political context. Since the financial crisis, however, its population has been increasingly exposed to risk: there has been job uncertainty and decreasing capacity for self‐reliance, leading to a growing reliance on public welfare and on families at a time when both are under pressure. The old welfare policies, unable to cope with the new risks, have been replaced by neo‐liberal reforms, redistributing the roles and responsibilities of the individual and the state, with a greater burden falling on the former. Individuals are required to be prudent to manage risk. While these reforms have relieved some of the burden on the state, both new social risk groups and 'net taxpayers' considered themselves to have borne disproportional costs. Society is facing serious problems resulting from ineffective old welfare policies, new social risks due to new policies, and the political upheavals arising from increased social conflicts and weakened social cohesion and solidarity. A further complication is that there is no acceptable platform or agent to negotiate a compromise between the polarized groups. This article argues that reliance on publicly funded risk coping strategies or on neo‐liberal risk prevention and mitigation strategies is not a desirable and sustainable policy. A commonly accepted political platform is required to negotiate a compromise which emphasizes shared and balanced roles and responsibilities, and a well‐conceived combination of risk prevention, mitigation and coping strategies.

Hong Kong's health services have shown signs of development in recent decades. The provision of public low-cost universal health services acts as a safety net, but its quality and quantity is sometimes questionable. Citizens' health service needs often must be met by the supplementary private health services, especially the primary health services. Nevertheless, criticisms have been expressed regarding access to, and utilization of, these health services. This paper examines the utilization, in terms of accessibility, affordability, and primary health services for Hong Kong residents. Based on a survey data collected in 2009, findings revealed that the respondents were, on the whole, satisfied with the primary health services and that this attitude is positively correlated with their satisfaction in their own health status. Nevertheless, the findings also show that health services utilization varies according to social class which deserves attention.