A Targeted Approach to the Provision of Ubiquitous Healthcare Services for the Newly Retired

The purpose of this research is to discuss a targeted approach to health care provisions for the newly retired. This approach focuses on the application of specific services provided by the development of Web 2.0 technologies and an identification system that determines the needs of a community of newly retired. The paper examines the significance of this community and also discusses the steps required for the research. The first phase of the research which is covered here involves reviewing pervious literature to determine what information has been gathered about the subject. Once this has been accomplished that the researcher will investigate the defined community to determine what resources are in place and what additional resources need to be in put in place in order to help the community to continue to thrive. The final steps include implementing what services were found to be necessary for the continued growth of the community and a follow-up concerning the success of these services.     

Administrative Capacity Building of Public Administrations Under the European Financial Assistance

From a European perspective as referring to EU member states, which are receiving European financial assistance, the idea of assessment of the countries＇ administrative capacity represents a priority and an issue of concern not only for the new member countries but also for the all the member countries. Based on its functions, public institutions should perform an evaluation or measure their administrative and organizational capacity performance when significant changes occur, in order to facilitate the necessary improvements for their organizational and administrative capacity. Following these considerations, after studying the literature concepts about the administrative capacity and based upon an empirical research, this article aims： （1） to classify the European countries （EU27） according to their administrative capacity, based on some relevant identified indicators as following the European Commissions＇ reports from the official websites; and （2） to identify and analyze the influence and effects that strategic management and project management have on the administrative capacity of Romanian public administration using a survey which analyses the performance of the Romanian public administration.     

The Democratization of Welfare Between Rhetoric and Reality: Local Planning,Participation, and Third Sector in Italy

The third sector, traditionally considered in the Italian welfare state as a residual actor of social policies, has increasingly engaged itself in various types of partnerships and collaborative planning processes with the local authority in recent years. In the rhetoric of welfare reform, third sector organizations play an important role, for they contribute to regenerating local democracy, stimulating communities, and fighting social exclusion. The article examines 12 local area plans, which have been realized in eight regions of Italy since 2000, by relying on empirical data and interviews. The article concludes that the so-called co-governance of local welfare can produce very different levels of democratization and improvement of social programs. In some areas, it may be that valorizing the third sector can effectively renew social policies, while in others the exact reverse may happen. The article offers an analysis of the main factors that influenced this result.     

Business as usual? Civil society organizations in a marketized Swedish welfare state

ABSTRACT

This article aims to examine the participation of pensioners’ organizations in a context of marketization within local elderly care. The literature on New Public Management (NPM) points out different views on the effects of marketization on the participation of civil society organizations within the decision-making process. One view states marketization implies less of participation by civil society organizations since this stands in conflict with inherent values of NPM, such as efficiency and the citizen as customer on a market. An opposite view states that marketization does not cause this effect, i.e., civil society organizations participate in the same manner as before. The empirical investigation consists of results from a questionnaire sent out to pensioners’ organizations in Swedish municipalities with a marketized elderly care. The main result is that marketization does not cause any major crowding out effect on civil society organizations from the decision-making process. However, according to the survey, there exists a variation in this respect – participation varies between municipalities.     

The Planning and Implementation of the Rule of Law Mission of the European Union in Kosovo

Abstract

This article evaluates the planning process and initial implementation of the Rule of Law Mission of the European Union in Kosovo (EULEX). It shows that the original intention was to have a smaller presence than the predecessor United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Yet as a result of a lack of settlement on the international status of Kosovo, the European Union ended up with a robust mandate and it was unable to make a fresh start in order to distinguish itself from the United Nations. EULEX has, nonetheless, successfully established itself, but it remains too early for a final judgment.     

我国城镇化进程与进城农村青年的人文关怀

城镇化指农村人口转化为城镇人口的过程,是工业化、现代化进程必然经历的历史阶段。改革开放之后,我国大量农村人口向城市的转移为现代化、城镇化注入生机和活力,丰富了城镇建设的人力资源,这支力量的主体是青年。在这一过程中进城农村青年经历了很多艰辛,主要表现为权利平等、权益维护、人格尊严、资源共享、社会保障等方面的缺失,即社会人文关怀的缺失。加强对进城农村青年的人文关怀、推进市民化进程,需要制定政策、形成制度。     

浅析大学生思想政治教育人文关怀的几大转换

长期以来大学生思想政治教育人文关怀一直没有很好地落实,文章针对这一现状,指出在落实大学生思想政治教育人文关怀时,需要注意几大转换,即要从教育重心、教育对象、教育内容、教育策略、教育方法这五个方面进行转换思路。     

Rich doctors and poor patients: Market failure and health care systems in developing countries

This article argues that, in developing countries, health care systems (HCS) have been facing the problem of market failure, implying that the fair rules of market principles do not apply and patients often become losers. Explaining the theoretical issues involved, the article examines various causes of market failures in HCS, including: rent-seeking activities by doctors, asymmetric information between doctors and patients, between patients and insurance companies, and the oligopolistic behaviour of health care practitioners. The policy implications of the study suggest that, in many cases, government intervention is essential to eliminate market failures in the HCS in developing countries.     

广西民族地区农村居家养老模式探析

居家养老模式是家庭养老和机构养老的有效整合,是未来我国养老事业重点建设的目标之一。中国目前居家养老服务多为政府购买服务、民间组织提供服务或社区承办服务等模式。广西民族地区农村人口老龄化速度快、经济欠发达、家庭结构失衡、养老设施匮乏,居家养老模式应成为养老方式的首选。建设广西农村居家养老模式应重点完善农村基本医疗照顾,加强农村传统邻里互助关系,保护和传承少数民族文化习俗。     

Post-Hospital Medical Respite Care and Hospital Readmission of Homeless Persons

Medical respite programs offer medical, nursing, and other care as well as accommodation for homeless persons discharged from acute hospital stays. They represent a community-based adaptation of urban health systems to the specific needs of homeless persons. This article examines whether post-hospital discharge to a homeless medical respite program was associated with a reduced chance of 90-day readmission compared to other disposition options. Adjusting for imbalances in patient characteristics using propensity scores, respite patients were the only group that was significantly less likely to be readmitted within 90 days compared to those released to Own Care. Respite programs merit attention as a potentially efficacious service for homeless persons leaving the hospital.