All Change in China’s Voluntary Service System? Policy Implications of the Latest Institutional Reform

This study analyze the effect of fitness center instructors" voluntary work performance on service orientation and customer orientation, and draws the following conclusions. First, as a result of analyzing the influence of fitness center leader"s voluntary work performance on service orientation, first, in the relationship between fitness center leader’s voluntary work performance and service leadership, the conscientious behavior, consideration, and voluntary behavior factors of voluntary work performance are statistically significant in service leadership. Was found to have a significant effect. Next, in the relationship between fitness center users" voluntary work performance and service contact point, it was found that the conscientious behavior, consideration, and voluntary behavior factors of voluntary work performance had a statistically significant effect on the service contact point. Lastly, in the relationship between the voluntary work performance of fitness center users and the service system, it was found that the conscientious behavior of voluntary work performance and the factors of voluntary behavior had a statistically significant effect on the service system. Second, as a result of analyzing the effect of fitness center leader"s voluntary work performance on users" customer orientation, first, in the relationship between fitness center users" voluntary work performance and service attitude, the conscientious behavior, consideration, and voluntary behavior factors of voluntary work performance are the service attitude. Was found to have a statistically significant effect on. Next, in the relationship between voluntary work performance and service behavior of fitness center users, it was found that consideration of voluntary work performance and voluntary behavior factors had a statistically significant effect on service behavior.

SummaryThe role of agents and agency in institutional reform literature has largely been underplayed and decontextualized, even being described as a “black box.” Despite calls for linking individual agency with organizational and societal analysis, the specific contours of agency remain under‐theorized. This paper presents and illustrates a framework for institutional entrepreneurism, outlining the essential role and specific actions institutional entrepreneurs can contribute to introducing, promoting, and crystallizing institutional reforms. The framework identifies how institutional entrepreneurial actions shift in their targets and responses as the resource needs change in different stages of the reform process. Using the example of establishing the Ethiopia Commodities Exchange (ECX), I illustrate each stage of institutional entrepreneurial action. The ECX experience illustrates institutional entrepreneurs as networked, political actors, who announce institutional reforms through cultural efforts that make it as easy as possible for stakeholders to comply with proposed reforms. The who and the how of agency may shift through the stages of institutional reform. The ECX experience confirms that institutional reform is political and requires engaging with both macro‐level and micro‐level politics and power. The paper closes with implications for policy and practice. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper based on comprehensive analysis of the voluntary service status in China and combined with the experience building voluntary service platform in Beijing, proposes the solution to informationization of voluntary service-building information-based management system of voluntary service so as to enhance life-cycle management to volunteers, voluntary service organization and voluntary service project, increase work efficiency, promote system construction, strengthen the construction of voluntary service co-ordination mechanism, raise voluntary service level, finally promote scientific and sustainable development of voluntary service undertakings.

In the final chapter, the editors (Eric Rougier and Francois Combarnous) provide their answers to the main questions raised in the book’s introduction. They then proceed to highlight two key aspects of the cross-country institutional discrepancies: the type of state intervention in socioeconomic governance and the role played by experimentation in shaping this type of socioeconomic governance. The policy implications of the book’s main results are then addressed, with special focus being put on institutional reforms in poor countries. Several policy-related proposals are then discussed, especially as regards institutional change and reforms in poor and middle-income countries: Should institutional reforms be coordinated or not? Are there successful “super-reformers” to be imitated by other countries? Is there still scope for individual experimentation? Finally, new horizons for research are suggested.

College students’ voluntary service, serving as an important form of education through practice, provides an effective platform to improve their practical ability. The social capital theory can offer a reliable illustration for the above-mentioned functional mechanism. At the matter, however, there remain some problems including less overall efficiency and insufficient enhancement of professional practical ability. In order to improve the situation we need to reinforce the building of volunteer teams, strengthen the guidance of organizing voluntary service, and enhance the support system of voluntary service.

The evaluation system for South Korea's long-term care services for the elderly was reorganized with a focus on services quality management through the long-term care facility evaluation system following quasi-marketizing reform in the late 2000s. However, unlike the old evaluation system, service quality is managed through the evaluation of providers who voluntarily entered the market, and this provider evaluation is conducted in connection with the benefit provision process by the insurer (National Health Insurance Services) as a characteristic of South Korea. With regard to the evaluation system, there is dissatisfaction with provider evaluation, and it is argued that a separate independent dedicated evaluation organization should be established together with the strengthening of the role of local governments.
 Therefore, taking notice of cases in Japan, which is introducing an evaluation system that is different from the one in South Korea, this study is intended to examine how the evaluation system for long-term care services for the elderly in Japan has been reorganized and changed in comparison with South Korea and find implications for South Korea. To that end, this study will analyze how the institutional devices for various evaluations such as the third-party evaluation system, the policy evaluation system, and the evaluation system for long-term care insurance business plans for the elderly have been reorganized to be pluralistic and multilayered in the institutional reform following quasi-marketization reform in Japan. Second, it will derive the fact that objective-based policy evaluation (=performance management) and participatory evaluation are being strengthened amid changes in policies regarding the evaluation system for long-term care services for the elderly in Japan. Third, it will capture the governance structure of the evaluation system by revealing the intergovernmental and inter-institutional linkage structure of Japan's evaluation system. Fourth, by identifying the functions carried out by the evaluation system through cases in Japan, this study will present policy implications that will enable the problems of South Korea's evaluation system to be overcome.

This study analyzes the impact of increasing population density in Kenya’s rural areas on smallholder behavior and welfare indicators. We first present evidence to explain how land constraints can be emerging within an overall context of apparent land under-utilization. Using data from five panel surveys on 1,146 small-scale farms over the 1997–2010 period, we use econometric techniques to determine how increasing rural population density is affecting farm household behavior and livelihoods. We find that farm productivity and incomes tend to rise with population density up to 600–650 persons per km2; beyond this threshold, rising population density is associated with sharp declines in farm productivity, total household income, and asset wealth. Currently 14% of Kenya’s rural population resides in areas exceeding this population density. The study concludes by exploring the nature of institutional and policy reforms needed to address these development problems.

The purpose of this study is to explore the characteristics of volunteer activities in the medical field, focusing on the case of Sorokdo National Hospital. Based on the participatory observation of Sorok Island, which has been intermittently conducted from May 2006 to the present, the aspects of volunteer activities in Sorok Island were examined. ‘Sorokdo Volunteer Service’ was historically created in response to patients’ lack of health and lack of relationship. In addition, the current volunteer system also tends to be institutionalized patient-centered in response to this deficiency. However, in the process, it could be seen that volunteers are exposed to various crisis situations that escape the control of the current service system. By analyzing the service experience of volunteers continuously performed in this crisis situation, the dailiness of the volunteer service system in Sorok Island was raised as a problem. There are definitely virtues of the medical field where volunteering is routine based on the participation of many different subjects. However, it was argued that the fact that volunteers are repeatedly placed in crisis situations outside the control of the system in the medical field, leaning on their familiar daily life, increases the uncertainty of the service system.

Economic Reforms and Food Security

With the idea of inclusiveness gradually penetrating into the philosophy of governance of colleges and universities, college students' volunteer activities are gradually enriched, and college students have become the most energetic group in youth volunteer activities. Student organizations and associations at the college or school level have become the main field and position for college students to carry out volunteer service activities in various colleges and universities. They arouse students' interest and achieve the purpose of recruiting college students' volunteers by means of credit awards, personal enhancement, and outings, etc., and then carry out volunteer service activities on the basis of which they provide various services for others or the society to promote the development and progress of China's society. According to the survey, college student volunteers have reached 83.1% of the total number of volunteers, college students have been the main force in the body. However, from the current situation, the conditions of volunteer service are still lacking, the contemporary university volunteer group students do not have a comprehensive understanding of volunteer service, awareness is weak, and volunteer activities are mostly top-down type of promotion, passive volunteer service also deviates from the original intention of the spirit of volunteerism. Therefore, with the development of the new era of volunteerism, how to cultivate and improve the awareness of college students volunteering has become an urgent task.

Evaluating the social value of voluntary service (especially the quality of collaborative service) not only measures the degree of society civilization, but also provides the guidance or indicator of overall arrangement of voluntary service and utilization efficiency of voluntary resources. Along with the informatization development of the network, the release, implementation and evaluation of voluntary service can be integrated into a management information system. Unfortunately, the current research seldom involves comprehensive evaluation system, especially one considering the indicator of collaboration. This paper proposes a Social Value Evaluation System for Voluntary Service (SVESVS) and also presents design and implementation of prototype of the evaluation system. Based on simulated data and data obtained from national volunteer service platform, the proposed evaluation system is tested, visualized and validated from different dimensions. With the help of this information management system, the process tracking, monitoring and the resource integration of volunteer service can be achieved effectively.

This paper presents a survey about the existing web-based information management system for volunteer services. Based on the survey results the paper highlights the new features and functions of the next generation of the volunteer service system. A prototype system incorporating these features and functions has also been implemented and presented.

Voluntary service is an important link of education for further social and career development of college students, but has not been effective in the education system. for a long time top-down management restricted the effect of college students volunteer service. Government purchase of public services to promote a new opportunity for college student’s volunteer service development belt. Researchers at the completion of the college students volunteer service condition on the basis of empirical research, and combined with a variety of theoretical research. Project research method for establishing the content and forms of volunteer service is better. And the Good way is to use the project cooperation way to establish service team. Use the project management approach to managing college student’s volunteer service. This approach is a proved effective pathway to promote the development of college student’s volunteer service.

Introduction to the Special Section on Assisted Outpatient Treatment in New York State

This article provides an overview of the reform of water institutions in developing countries in the last three decades focusing on the what, why and how of institutional reform and outlines their implications for policy and research. The review covers four areas: 1) water rights and river basin institutions; 2) decentralized irrigation management; 3) private sector participation in urban water supply and 4) regulation of water infrastructure. The review suggests that 1) the theoretical rationale for reforms are mostly grounded on arguments for efficiency, effectiveness and fiscal sustainability with little considerations for equity; 2) models of institutional design varies from incremental to comprehensive; and 3) implementation experiences among countries are mixed given the conditional nature of institutional reform but changes in elite perception holds the key to reform.